Thread by @GbengaWemimo

It was my mother that called me from Ibadan
She said she got a phone call from the student's affairs department of the school
I have been summoned to face the school's disciplinary committee on allegations of fraud
The first thing that struck me was a chilling sensation in my

spine
I had written my examinations in fear and trepidation
My heart was always racing
It is true that a sinner will run even without being pursued
I had tried as much as possible to persuade some of the students that bought the shares I sold for the fraudulent man to be patient

with me
I told them I would sort it out with the bank
It was a lot of empty words
I knew I had dug a hole too big for my wits to come out of
I was just hoping that somehow none of them would take it up with the school authorities
I was wrong; the case had been reported to the

chaplain and he had started a secret investigation
They had a clear cut case
What they didn't have was precedence
They interviewed many of the students in my class even some lecturers
They wanted to establish that it was a pattern because they knew I also had a clear cut defence

I was duped!
That much was the truth
A man came into the school and asked me to sell shares for him
He promised me a cut
I sold the shares and took my cut
He took the money and disappeared
I was guilty but I was guilty of foolishness, not of intentionally committing fraud
As soon

as my mother dropped the call, i began to call all those who paid me for the shares
I had their list, their phone numbers, and the amount each person paid
I had planned to find a way to repay the money
In fact, I promised them that I would refund them before returning to the sch

for my clearance
I really wanted to do the right thing but I couldn't
I didn't have the money and I had no source to get it from
I had also learned from my initial desperado move
I was determined not to dig myself another hole in a desperate bid to save my neck
My days were spent

worrying and shivering
The call was not a surprise, it was inevitable
Most of my classmates confirmed that they had been interviewed secretly and were wondering what was going on
My roommates also had been interviewed secretly during the examination period
Everything pointed to

one guy
He was the one who spearheaded the investigation
I called him and he admitted being behind it immediately
I asked him if it was possible for him to withdraw the case
He said No
I asked if I could write an undertaking that would cover the fund, he said No
I tried many

options, the answer remained No
I had no option but to tell my mother the truth
I called her and told her everything that happened
My mother said "How can I help?"
I said I was guilty
My mother said "Mercy exists solely for the guilty"
I traveled to Ibadan the next day
The SDC

case was to happen the following Monday
I got to Ibadan on Thursday
I took my mother to the house of the guy I had called earlier
We met him and his mother at home
They granted us an audience
I made the same promises, my mother said she would see to it that I keep my promises
The

guy said "No problem, I will withdraw the case"
MOnday came, I got into the bus taking me to school
The guy was already in it
I greeted him
He ignored me
I realized the "I will withdraw the case" thing was a ruse to get us out of their house
He was going to see the case through

I got to face the SDC at 11AM
It was like Apostle Paul before Governor Festus and the Pharisee Leaders
I was good!
They didn't expect the level of intelligence they met
I owned up to what happened and presented my defense
I reminded them that there was no precedence and all I did

was get played by a fraudster
I told them I am willing to repay the money if they will give me the benefit of the doubt and some time
The chairman of the SDC said, "What is your CGPA?"
I told him
He said "Oh oh, no wonder?
You came here prepared to run rings around us all day

to avoid justice
You want to talk your way out of this
Do you think we are fools?
You kept talking as if you are sure you will walk out of here with a slap on the wrist
The Vice Chancellor's wife was also seated, she signaled to me to keep quiet
She taught me Sociology
She had

also been attending the Sunday School class and Fellowship center I lead on campus since I was in 100 Level
She was the first person to call me aside and say "Dont join the Pentecostal church after graduation, this denomination need people like you"
I listened to her and kept

mute
They called in their witnesses
Out of seven that were listed, only 2 showed up
One was disqualified because he had a personal grudge with me over something that was not related to the case at hand (He heard I was going to the immigration office at Ibadan to renew a passport

and approached me, to help him get a visa to travel abroad after graduation. Instead of explaining to him that visas were not issued at immigration offices, I told him the four years he spent in the university were a waste of time. It was an insult and I didn't apologize!) That

was his case
The SDC people threw it out
Then the guy I had gone home to meet came in and started his defense from the fact that I came to his house with my mother to pressure him to withdraw the case
Oh my!
It was the weapon they had been waiting for
They said only the guilty

would do that
I wanted to pervert the course of justice
To be fair he didn't lie against me in any way
He told them exactly what happened but that visit made everything look very bad
The committee people talked to the point where they concluded that I could have killed the guy if

his mother was not at home when I went visiting!
(There are days you have to throw up your arms like Jesus and say "The hour of darkness has come"
I was suddenly a potential murderer and a perverter of justice
A lawyer was brought in, a policeman was brought it
I was made to sign

an undertaking never to visit the guy's house again under any circumstances
I signed
They took my ten fingerprints and told me they would send me their verdict after a few days
I was glad walked out of that place in one piece at 4pm
As soon as I got to the school gate, the VC's

wife sent for me
She said she wanted to see me and I should make sure I come to her house
I know she wanted to help but I was done!
I was done with the school and I didn't even want their certificate again
I had never seen myself as a nine to five kind of person
I am a genius and

I know it
I didn't turn back
I walked out of the school gate without looking back
I gave myself one year to return the money for the sake of my conscience
I left the school and returned home to Ibadan
The following day, I found myself in deep depression
It was as if the feeling

was waiting for me to sleep after the whole case
I woke up feeling like dying
I just wanted to fade into oblivion
My "Can do" spirit had fled
My mother waited for a report on the case
all day
I didn't even open the door of my room
My mother got scared that I might hurt myself

My mother went to Rev. Dr. XYZ to report recent events
Rev. Dr. came to the house to see me the following day
I gave both him and my mother the report
Rev. Dr. said he can try to call some people
I told Rev. Dr. I don't need the certificate to prosper
Rev. Dr. laughed
He said I

am speaking like a child
i said "Okay sir"
I returned to Lagos two days later
Someone needed a Personal Assistant, my older sister heard it and felt I could fit well into the role because I am a believer
I took the job
It was an informal job, I didn't need to present a certificat

I diod the job for three months
Convocation season came, I got depressed again
My boss bought me a suit and a fine shirt and encouraged me to go for my convocation
I got to Ibadan, I cried myself to sleep in my room
The next morning, my mother arrived with another pastor
The

pastor was an illiterate
I shook my head like "Is this what my case needs now?"
He said he will pray for me and I will get a miracle
He prayed and asked me to sing and dance in worship
I did it
I went for the convocation with my brother @dafidimimo I got back home to a miracle

The school had posted my transcript to our house as usual
I didn't have a certificate but I had a transcript detailing all my A's and I had many AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAs
The A's spoke louder than a certificate
All my employers salivated over it
I was also quite good at delivering

results
I was the Inaugural head of the production desk @coretvnewsng
Before then I worked as a freelance reporter and produced many documentaries
I wrote a lot of TV series and thrived
I returned to the PA thing in 2014
Started writing Twitter threads in 2015
Launched my first

website in 2018 by the instruction of the Holy Spirit
My steps were so ordered that I didn't take one wrong step to arrive at this point of my life today
I got married two years after the scandal
I never lacked or borrowed at any point and I married a superstar @CokerWemimo!

As a matter of fact, I have employed many who have certificates
The Holy Spirit showed me the path of life and as I followed it, it led to a river that has become the sustenance of many destinies
I remember at that point when I wanted to commit suicide, the Holy Spirit said "Why

don't you assume you have died and live the rest of your life for me!
Strangely, that was what I did
Instead of NYSC, I worked for a church for free for one year after "graduation"
I told myself as long as i don't lean on my own understanding, the Word will work wonders in me!

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