Desperate Moves 2

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
authority
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 defense
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 school
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 by
the chaplain
They were all wondering what was
going on
My roommates also had been interviewed
secretly during the examination period
Everything pointed to one guy
He was one of the victims
The shares he bought was worth N64,000
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 11 AM
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 got 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 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 led
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 needs
people like you”
I listened to her and kept mute
They called in their witnesses
Out of seven that were listed, only two
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
to him for the comment!)
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
It was witness tampering!
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 4mpm
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 all day for a report
on the case
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. (The pastor
of our local church) 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 was 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 certificate
I did 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 to 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
life 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
I didn’t have a certificate but I had a
transcript detailing all my A’s and I had
many A’s
The A’s spoke louder than a certificate
All my employers salivated over it
I was also quite good at delivering
results on the job
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”
and I worked tirelessly for the cause
of the gospel everyday
I told myself as long as i don’t lean on
my own understanding, the Word will
work wonders in me!
The word has worked the wonders
Praise the Lord!

PS: I wrote this story to encourage
someone out there frustrated with
life and going through depression as
a result
I always console myself those days
that many people in this world didn’t
have to use their certificate in order
to prosper
Creative people usually don’t have
to
It doesn’t mean there will be no
challenges
My manuscripts got rejected by many
publishing outfits but I found a way
to be heard in the creative space
Many people now use the writing
style i invented
(Many didn’t know it was possible to
write stories without using names)
The Holy Spirit made me a blessing
Give your life to Jesus and get intimate
with the Holy Spirit
Within a short time, you will find
yourself soaring high in Christ.