I thought I would be sent abroad -21-year-old First Class graduate

It did not come as a surprise to his family and friends when Khamis Al-ameen Lamido graduated from Igbinedion University, Okada with a first class degree in Petroleum Engineering. For those that know the 21-year-old, graduating with flying colours since he was in nursery school had been easy for him. Khamis, who hails from Kano […]

It did not come as a surprise to his family and friends when Khamis Al-ameen Lamido graduated from Igbinedion University, Okada with a first class degree in Petroleum Engineering.

For those that know the 21-year-old, graduating with flying colours since he was in nursery school had been easy for him.

Khamis, who hails from Kano Municipal Local Government, went to Igbinedion University under the Kano State’s scholarship programme four years ago. As a young man, his excellent results in both WAEC and NECO made him one of the chosen students to write the scholarship examination and Khamis proved his worth by emerging tops. His success in the examination enabled him to make the list of 501 Kano students who benefited from the state’s scholarship programme.

According to him, with his success in the examination he thought he would be sent abroad like some of his colleagues, but he was sent to study Petroleum Engineering at Igbinedion University.

“I was hoping to be sent abroad to study under the Kano State government scholarship scheme I had applied for, but when I saw that I was to study at IUO, I said to myself, ‘why should I worry, after all I have gotten the scholarship.’ Right there, I made up my mind to do all that I could to justify the public funds spent on me by the state government. With the help of my lecturers, I was able to sail through,” said Khamis.

He said his success was not easy as it seemed, adding that it came with sleepless nights, uninterrupted concentration, self-discipline and adherence to laid down rules.

“It is apparent that success doesn’t come as easy as many people think. I spent sleepless nights studying and as an undergraduate one has to instill self-discipline in oneself to guide his conduct in school. This is what has kept me going since my secondary school days and I believe it has helped me a great deal,” he said.

While at Igbinedion University, Khamis represented the school in various quiz competitions within and outside Nigeria. He was a pillar in the university’s success stories and his name is attached to various awards won by the university.

Reacting to his challenges in his early days in the university, Khamis said he initially found it very difficult to get acquainted to his new environment as he met people from different parts of the country. He added that but within a short time he became friendly with virtually everyone in his class.

Khamis revealed that one of the secrets behind his success is competition. According to him, the competition he encountered amidst his peers in the university made him to gear up to ensure that he performed better.

“We instituted among ourselves what we called mutual competitions, we compared our grades and also related to our lecturers as friends or guardians. We lived like a family and studied like we were in a contest, that helped us a lot to keep us abreast with the latest research,” he said.

His father, Al-Ameen Lamido, said his son’s success isn’t just success for the family but for Kano State and the nation, adding that he had never dictated to Khamis on what  to read in secondary school or university.

“I never dictated to him on his choice of course and now that he has graduated with first class, I won’t dictate to him on what he wants to do in future, at least he is 21 years old now and I know he knows best what he wants,” he said.

Khamis, the second child out of five, said he remains grateful to the Kano State government for giving him the opportunity to study in the university under its scholarship. He further revealed that his next target is to have a successful NYSC programme this year, and  proceed for a second degree.