NCB: We have here, one of the top officials in GISU. The Financial secretary, Mr Oluwasegun Joy whose appellation is known as Legbeti. It’s nice to have you here Legbeti.
Legbeti: Particularly, we don’t like the Union being referred to as GISU, Great Ife Students’ Union is okay. That GISU Sounds somehow. I am glad to be here.
NCB: Wow, I think it has always been so but it’s fine. Thank you for the correction. Your name, Legbeti, takes me back home (Ondo). Have you lived in Oyemekun before?
Legbeti: lol! I am particularly not from Ondo state but it’s a part of me already. I have stayed there throughout my life until I came to Ife.
NCB: I see. How did you come across the name?
Legbeti: I am from Edo state and it doesn’t still change the fact that I am omo won l’Ondo.
NCB: Really? Coincidentally, I was born in Ovia south. I think we have something in common and you have to pay me for this😂.
Legbeti: Legbeti is my family name and not my nick name. My dad decided to use our Grandfather’s name, Abiola as our surname but the Legbeti name is the complex family name that everyone bears. I don’t even know them all. I just told my class mates while in SS1 at Saint Thomas Aquinas College, Akure and they loved the name and since then, it’s the other of the day. They like the name and they add their preferred suffixes to it like Legbeti IDAN and lot more… Lol😁, I don’t know Edo, it’s not a place I am so familiar with but I know a quite number of places there too. If it were Akure laidis I know everywhere.
NCB: Oh! I think there’s something spectacular about this IDAN. I saw your post on Twitter on the day Dr IBk appeared in court and it seems they hailed him with that IDAN. What’s it all about?
Legbeti: IDAN is when someone does what is peculiar. Sometimes, I work towards achieving the impossible things. So, it birthed that concept, IDAN. So I am working on making it a structure of intellectuals where we come together and rub minds on issues and how to find dinstinct solutions to it. I, alongside some other comrades was just playing with it and people took it so serious.
NCB: Wow, Rubbin’-minds! How long have you been in politics?
Legbeti: 2016.
NCB: You are a grandpa in politics. What triggered that?
Legbeti: Lol, sometimes I get in to power because people agree and reach a resolution through general consensus. And what really triggered it was the fact that people claim when I lead, I do it differently. So, nothing really triggered it. And I believe that it’s a script that has been written by God equally.
NCB: Alright! Is there any correlation between what you’re studying and politics?
Legbeti: Yes. 😂😂😂😂😂
NCB: What course is that?
Legbeti: Accounting.
NCB: Lol! I can discern your true response from your emojis.
Legbeti: Of course, politics is a form of competition. And life itself is a race. So, there’s politics everywhere, my chief.
NCB: It seems there’s a good relationship between the current executives and the previous’. Did you ever regret moving with Dr IBk?
Legbeti: I have never moved with IBK, though. And about a good relationship, I doubt it. The question I feel you should ask is that, is there any existing relationship between the current executives and IBK?
NCB: But there was a promulgation of a friendly call between yourself and Dr IBK. Was that your first time talking to him?
Legbeti: Yes, there was one and it happened for reasons. Drawing a conclusion that it was friendly is not true. Yes, he has been talking to me but that was the first time I will be talking to him. There’s a difference between talking to me and me talking to you.
NCB: Oh! I apologise for the word “friendly” here. What was his discussion all about if I may ask?
Legbeti: On a norms, I promised not to say anything again until I get to the floor of the house. But these questions are coming from students’ news agency. The students who elected me. So particularly, I feel I have to bend my rules because they deserve a response. Can you restructure this question well, sir?
NCB: Lol! I think I’m short of words but you got the point right? I meant, since he has been calling you, what was he telling you?
Legbeti: His discussion was basically monetary and how I, and the president need to work in synergy and we all should embrace peace.
NCB: Wow, he must be a peace maker!
Legbeti: That’s left to you to conclude, sir.
NCB: It’s left for the readers actually.
Legbeti: Apparently
NCB: On students behalf, I appreciate your openness. Plato once said, “silence gives consent”. But, I’m sorry, I may just have to ask a question as regard this. Just for clarity sake. Is it feasible to withdraw money from the union’s account without your signature?
Legbeti: Well, I feel we both should answer this questions is it feasible to remove money from your account without your consent?
NCB: Obviously not.
Legbeti: What if I convince you that it is possible.
NCB: Until it happens, I still wouldn’t believe it can.
Legbeti: Exactly what happened! To avoid questions, too much questions, do you want the narrative of how my class came into play too?
NCB: I would appreciate that, sir.
Legbeti: It will be short and precise. He approached me for the money and guess he did to the president too. I reported and they asked me to get an evidence probably of his calls or whatever. Fortunately, he called me and I recorded him. I believed solely that money cannot be withdrawn without my signature except if there’s a weak internal control. Lo and behold, he did. I raised the alarm, it got escalated that the President and I know about it but with zero evidence. We went to the bank and it was confirmed that Dr. IBK did it through internet banking. A student sponsored a post on twitter and it started affecting their customer care. They called me and they refunded it after I reached the agreement that the post will be dropped. So exactly the same way you believe that money cannot be removed from your account is exactly the same way we believed nothing will happen to the Union account. Do you get it, sir?
NCB: Sorry, I think the last part here is not clear enough. A student caused the reverse of the money?
Legbeti: No. A student posted on Twitter and my few good guys who trusted me too did. Because if it’s coming from me people might start talking again. I had a conference call with UBA south west manager and other people. They apologized and I went there with my lecturer and we negotiated that they refund the money as there’s an insurance for any money illegally withdrawn in the banking system. They begged that we drop our tweets which I told them to drop after the refund.
NCB: Ohh, that means it wasn’t the culprit that returned the money?
Legbeti: Apparently. But we are going the wrong end sef. That was why my lecturer advised we approach it tactically. We are accountants. Don’t forget. There’s something they call privy of contract. It’s just like I kept money in your hands and @Eleos Photography stole it from you. I should drag you not her. So, we should have attacked UBA and UBA will be the one to go after IBK. We kept money with UBA not IBK.
NCB: I got it. Just like students will hold you…
Legbeti: Exactly, even when I don’t know anything about it. When we took the right step the money was refunded under 24hrs.
NCB: “weak internal control.” Apparently, there must have been some leakages you didn’t cursorily notice. You leaked the secret through Eagles post. I guess you felt safer that way?
Legbeti: That, I don’t know. I am not in their system o. I am not an employee there so I may not know. I didn’t leak the news to Eagle they are journalist they heard about it. Whether it’s a grapevine or rumour it was believed to be true.
NCB: What has OAU management done so far on this case?
Legbeti: Well, IBK was invited and apprehended as far as he’s still a student of the school.
NCB: Wow, Dr IBK is a member of Great Ife students union?
Legbeti: Of course, he is. He’s still a student. Then it’s a criminal offense then they handed him over to the men of the police force which is in the law that a criminal must not spend more than 24hrs under detention and he was charged to court then any steps OAU management has taken should be known to them not me.
NCB: I must tell you it’s strange to me (that Dr. IBK is a student).
Legbeti: Just like it is to me. I had to go and dig deep into history to know his antecedents.
NCB: Did you at any point in time feel defamed or have a cerebration on whether the trust bestowed on you by your co-students has been jeopardized with this money laundering?
Legbeti: Well, one thing I told God was to vindicate me If I know nothing and to ensure I suffer too if I have hands in moving this money. And about students, there will always be room to prove myself and I will do just that.
NCB: Since you already informed the members of the excos and they requested for a prove which you provided, what was their action toward it?
Legbeti: like one of the canon of equity will say, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Since no one has a candid evidence against me, we all just have to admit that it’s the test of time. Just like a popular Yoruba saying will say, Ti Iro ba Lo fun Ogun Odun, Otito ale ba ni OJO kan. It was all over then that I had hands and evidences dropped including the bank letter affirming that they removed the money through internet banking and not signatories. That alone exonerates me and the president.
NCB: How would you merit your union? Working fine or needs amelioration?
Legbeti: Working fine absolutely. Although I won’t lie, every administrations have their own defaults and we are working currently on it to ensure our weakness becomes our strength.
NCB: I guess the case of money laundering is bigger than the union to handle which took you to the school security and validated the credo of Socrates that “it’s not good to abscond from one’s parents”. Do you feel obliged to your “parents”?
Legbeti: Of course, yes. But I can be very objective if their opinion doesn’t seem right to me.
NCB: That must be an obstinate child. Socrates accepted death even when he knew he was right.
Legbeti: Lol, that is Socrates during his generation. We are born giants, we have to be objective and stay firm against oppression.
NCB: That’s an argument for another topic and probably another day. Anyway, let’s succinctly weigh on OAU and mid term break before we leave. Would you say OAU is on ASUU strike or just a mid term break as termed?
Legbeti: 😂😂😂🥰😊🤣🤣🤣😅😆😁😁😁😊😊😊😊
NCB: Zlatan, you nor go kill person🦹 🤣🤣🤣
Legbeti: Guess my Sticker answers it all.
NCB: I assume you don’t wanna go against your parents here. Is it a mid term break?
Legbeti: My parents are deceiving themselves.
NCB: Wow, are they comedians😊
Legbeti: Well, if I am the one in that position I will have stopped the session since. Look at me now, I am almost done with Econometrics and I have not started like 4 to 5 courses, how does it balance up and we want to write exams. So it’s better everything is going well not just a part. Then if a part which is even minor is going on well, I’d rather put everything on hold. Just my view and advice.
NCB: Wow, a thoughtful one I think. Let’s round it off by briefly discussing the VC saga. You guys were quiet. There was a drama but I guess you were all afraid to meddle in to that? You didn’t wanna take a major role😊
Legbeti: Omoo, my bro. The Union opinion can be different from my personal opinion. I have been giving you my personal opinion. The person that can give you the Union opinion is the PRO.
NCB: You’re a top official, your opinion matters.
Legbeti: Well, they are fighting themselves not us so somebody is not fighting me why should I fight him.
NCB: Weren’t you aware of the drama? Someone may intrude your room now and start displaying but you would not want to talk because the invader is not talking to you?
Legbeti: Lol! Then if my landlord is not doing anything he will be held responsible. Like I said privy of contract. Remember I have contract with the landlord not the intruder.
NCB: Your room, where you sleep, na your landlord go con pursue the thief commot😹. Alright, then, you should be ready to lose many things.
Legbeti: Lol! For real, they don’t have any issues with the students they have it with those that appointed the VC. And Its really sad they are exhibiting that kind of behaviors in this age. Though, they assaulted some of our students. You can’t fight spiritual battles physically. These people are armed too and we don’t want to risk the life of our students and we went to meet our landlord, the management, to do something about it within 72hours which they did.
NCB: Alright! Legbeti, you look handsome and I’m definitely not going to be the first person to tell you. Tell us something, den dey crush on you abi you dey crush on them?
Legbeti: We don finish interview abi? Ask me for my DM
NCB: 😂Man! Alright, our regards to them.
Legbeti: Them? Lol! Okay boss.
NCB: Firstly, I must appreciate the fact that we called you once and you answered us instantly. It suggests that you stand with the students and I hope you would always answer us?
Legbeti: Of Course. Anytime.
NCB: Thank you very much for your time. It’s nice to have you on our board. Have a wonderful and peaceful mid semester break.
Legbeti: Thank you for having me.🤝
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