How I broke 49-year-old jinx with highest CGPA in UDUS – Graduate of Islamic Studies

Twenty-four-year-old Abdulganiyu Akanbi AbdulRahman is a student of Islamic Studies who made history with the highest CGPA yet during the last convocation ceremony of the Usman Dan Fodio University (UDUS) Sokoto. In this interview with Daily Trust Saturday, the Kwara State born indigene from Gaa Aremu in Ilọrin West Local Government Area recounted how he […]

Twenty-four-year-old Abdulganiyu Akanbi AbdulRahman is a student of Islamic Studies who made history with the highest CGPA yet during the last convocation ceremony of the Usman Dan Fodio University (UDUS) Sokoto. In this interview with Daily Trust Saturday, the Kwara State born indigene from Gaa Aremu in Ilọrin West Local Government Area recounted how he achieved the feat. Excerpts:

Did you see this coming?

Well, it is not easy when you not only graduate with a first class but as a record breaker in the 49-year-old existence of the Usman Dan Fodio University (UDUS) Sokoto with the highest undergraduate CGPA so far of 4.96. Actually, academic excellence has always been my passion before I joined the university and Islamic Studies is a course I chose with a passion because of my thorough background in it.

How did you end up in UDUS from Ilọrin?

I had my primary and secondary Islamic education in Ilọrin and graduated with distinction. But I faced a lot of challenges entering the university until 2018. Initially, I wanted to study law at the University of Ilorin but was not admitted before I tried political Science with the same story. I settled for Islamic Studies with the conviction that my experience will help me to navigate through discipline. The passion and determination were the foundation. This feat is not a surprise to me because it is what I wanted and worked for, though it came with a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

How did a student of Islamic Studies lead the entire university to make history?

Before, students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Medical (STEM) courses were reputed with the history of breaking records in the institution. The last best graduating student had around 4.7 something CGPA while in my 100 level I pulled off 4.89 with a single B. I said if I can improve on this, definitely I can be the best student of the university or the best in my faculty. When I got to 200 level, I had 4.92 – all As with only one C. My lecturers and mentors in the department then tasked me to improve on my CGPA yearly which I did. In my 300 level, I had As all through with 4.95 and sustained it in 400 level to graduate with 4.96. Many students did not see it coming but I had it at the back of my mind that if this does not break the record of UDUS, it means STEM students are ahead and are more intelligent. But that is not true as I have just proved.

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What were the challenges for you? 

Not so many because I am very prayerful and I enjoyed moral and financial support from my family, especially my parents and siblings. In my early years, I was unable to purchase some Islamic books to make me more productive and enrich my intellectual ability and prowess. Islamic studies is very vast and wide in scope and when you are taught Islamic medicine for instance, you are handed some references to consult and some are not available online. Personally, I prefer reading directly from books to soft copies or online. This was the first challenge. Then the environmental issue, which snowballed to health challenges because of the weather. Sokoto’s heat is unbearable and its coldness is extreme compared to Ilọrin. I frequented the clinic and even wrote some of my exams while I was ill.

What was the most difficult course for you? 

That was during my final year and they were courses that are history related where you have to deal with dates, historical accounts of the past, specifically courses like Islam in Africa, Islam in Nigeria. I personally do not memorise much; I just try to read and understand very well and present my understanding in my own words. But here, I need to make references with dates and I found that most challenging.

Who would you describe as your role models in and outside school?

My first motivation is my mother and her words to make the family proud actually inspired family members to do well. For this, my brother also graduated with a first class in physics and material science at the Kwara State University, Malete and he always checks up on providing advice and guidance. Professor Is’haq Oloyede, the current JAMB Registrar who is a product of Arabic and Islamic Studies also inspired me a lot that if he could achieve all these, then I can be like or even better than him. At UDUS, I got motivated by a lot of inspiring stories of successful people in academics shattering records. During my 100 level, it was the best graduating student in the political science department that shaped my intellectual capacity. My lecturers like Dr. Adam Yusuf Adam, Dr. Attahiru and Dr. Ahmad Maigeri, among others, were there for me; providing prayers, guidance, counselling, moral and financial support, including food and money for books and photocopies.

What was your reading pattern?

My daily routine is to read in the morning till around 11pm. I don’t subscribe to 24 hours or entire night philosophy. I go to class as early as possible and if I am tired, I take a nap, stroll around or have some refreshment like biscuits or soft drinks before returning to my books. But when it is 11pm, I’m done for the day. I however ensure that I study for a minimum of four hours daily after lectures with my timetable different from that of the department. I try to read at least two courses even if it is five pages each, one that I consider “difficult and an easy” one. That was the routine throughout my university days, although I may read more than that if time is available. If I have a break, I don’t play with friends in the classroom but head to the library or a vacant class to study. However, I also get involved in some extra curricular activities.

How were you able to deal with pressure from the females?

From my 100 level, I have had that challenge but fortunately, I am not someone that is moved by what I don’t like. I was focused and determined and I know getting involved with females beyond academics can be a distraction to achieving my goals. I have been warned several times, I have heard stories both from Islamic and Western perspectives of supposedly great people that were weakened by females and vice versa. I know the power of females and what they can do. I didn’t move closer to them except for casual greetings and that was why I did not have any female friends throughout my 100 and 200 level. It was during the later part of my 300 level that I started moving closer to them. What also assisted me was that I stayed in a male only school hostel and immediately after my class, I returned to my hostel or class to read. 

What were the other sacrifices for you?

I had to minimise my food consumption to be able to afford books and avoided social events as much as possible, except where I will gain one or two skills. Most leisure activities were also focused on my books.

How soon do you envisage somebody breaking your record?

With the attitude of our generation, it is possible but not easy. I hope to see someone break it soon but it comes with a lot of sacrifices and prices.

What’s next for you now?

I’m waiting to explore future opportunities and further my studies abroad. But I want to practise as an Islamic studies expert.

What area would you like to specialise? 

Hadith and Islamic Finance. I’ve noticed that Hadith received low patronage by academics in Nigeria. According to NUC, we have only about seven professors of Hadith in the whole of Northern Nigeria including Prof Abubakar Aliagan in Ilọrin. Islamic finance is one of those emerging trends in today’s world that we need experts in. I want to be part of some of our lecturers and mentors who are already into it. Some of the financial crises we are facing as a nation and globally can be solved by experts in Islamic finance. My intention is also to have multiple masters and PhDs like Professor AbdulRazak Abdulmajeed Alaro who had two masters degrees and two PhDs.

Your message for students? 

I have the opportunity to lead or to serve in many capacities in the university which gave me the insight of meeting with students and knowing their real-time experiences. I was a campus journalist while in the university and I am still a freelance journalist now. I have written for Daily Trust, The Cable, Premium Times, Tribune, Guardian, Punch and many international media outlets which I still do. I was actively engaged in journalism and some clubs or associations that can actually enhance my academic, social and professional skills. On this basis, my advice to students is to have courage, believe in themselves and try to acquire the relevant skills that are related to one’s academic field. They should engage in some social skills that can add to their intellectual, professional or social life. And then prayer, which, to me, is the most important component of success.

How did journalism assist you to achieve this feat?

Journalism actually helped me a lot in writing, as an arts and humanities student, and in my communication skills, it played a huge part in this historic achievement. Journalism also assisted me financially and still does. Although money didn’t come early, it did in my last years in the university though not much, I used to purchase books that enhanced my academic performance. I travelled outside Sokoto to Abuja, Lagos and other places through the opportunities from journalism on campus. Also due to my position at the university’s scholars forum, I attended conferences in Abuja sponsored by the Commonwealth Student Association and the Federal Ministry of Education. But majorly, my financial strength was established as a student through the little earnings I got from journalism. But there were times I thought if I had more money, I would have bought more books and even now because Islamic studies is very vast.