Mum chose chemical engineering for me –UNILAG best graduating student

As the best-graduating student of UNILAG, how will you describe the feeling?I am very happy. I feel great about it.Can you share with us how you were able to achieve this feat? Well, I came in through a diploma foundation programme. In my second year, both first and second semesters, I had A grades. Just […]

As the best-graduating student of UNILAG, how will you describe the feeling?
I am very happy. I feel great about it.
Can you share with us how you were able to achieve this feat?
Well, I came in through a diploma foundation programme. In my second year, both first and second semesters, I had A grades. Just after my second year, I was on a CGPA of 5.0. I guess that was how it started and somehow, people knew that I was going to make it. In my third year, I had my first series of Bs while in my fourth and fifth years, I had straight As again which I believe fetched me the first class. So, overall, it’s been tough and challenging but tougher maintaining the first class than even attaining it. My first year was quite easy because I had a strong academic foundation from my secondary school. It was just like revising those things I knew. It was the fourth and final year at the university that I experienced my challenge. I was trying to balance my innate desire to read and excel with what people expected me to achieve.
Can you share with us your secondary school experience?
I finished from the UNILAG International Secondary School. I finished as the best-graduating student. I had 8 As in WASCE. I was not that vibrant in JSS I to III but I was vibrant in SS I to III. I represented my school in many competitions. I participated in Cowbell mathematics, MAN mathematics competitions. I also won the NNPC national science quiz competition which had its final in Abuja. I went through the various levels from state to national level. I was given a tertiary scholarship which I enjoyed here at UNILAG. I also won the Jet competition where I represented Lagos State, the final was held in Yobe State. I participated in quite a number of competitions. I won a silver medal in Physics Olympiad NNPC competition which was held in Abeokuta and so on.
Can we say you are a genius or you achieved all these as a result of hard work?
I would rather say it’s a combination of two things: God’s favour and a very strong parental upbringing. As a child, I was introduced to reading novels. My father, though late now, was someone who placed premium on education. The funny thing was that if you went to him for a shoe or shirt, he negotiated with you but when it comes to buying of textbooks or anything academics, he did not negotiate or thinks about it. So coming from such background made me give academics a top priority in my life.
In your undergraduate days, what course will you say you found very challenging?
Well, in chemical engineering, almost every course is challenging. In fact, there is no course that is not challenging as every course has its own peculiarities. It’s not all about the course as there are factors that come into play, like the lecturer taking the course, the course itself and the situations around the course. So for me, I think the courses I took towards my final year were more challenging than the ones I took from the beginning. Towards the ending part of my course, I had more responsibilities and less time to read. During my first year I could read for six hours but during my final year, I had less time to read because of certain responsibilities. Perhaps, the final courses had more application and even new terms were introduced.
When will you describe as your happiest moment?
Well, my happiest moment was when I got admitted into this university, I felt elated because it was the university that I wanted to attend.
…And your worst moment in school?
That was the beginning of my final year’s first semester when I lost my dad. It was a tough and trying period. Expectations were high and I couldn’t afford to make any contribution. The emotional trauma I faced at that period because my dad was my source of inspiration and motivation toward my academic success. Well, that was my trying moment but I thank God for family members and friends who were supportive.
How will you describe your reading schedule?
I love to read in confined places and the library was no exception. I mostly used the hostel reading room. I loved reading early in the morning and late at night because the day was full of activities. So, I used the library a lot.
How did you cope with distractions in the university?
Funny enough, I felt comfortable around my female friends. In fact, I saw that as an advantage to me. I am not really a social person and I am not an introvert either. Yes, there were many distractions but I was able to cope with them. I believe every student has to be focused. It’s not all about books as one is expected to get some level of social interaction. You must be able to strike that balance at every point in time. Using myself as an example, I was involved in many fellowship activities which formed the basis of my social life. Right from my second year, I was a worker in the Redeemed Christian fellowship and I became an executive in that same fellowship. Most of my social engagements were related to family and friends within the fellowship.
What attracted you to chemical engineering?
I love engineering. I think the choice of chemical engineering was made by my mum and my academic mentor, my physics teacher.
If you are to choose where you will like to work, where will that be?
Right now, there are two options for me. I want to practise my profession as a chemical engineer. I want to practise it in the oil and gas sector because, first of all, I had my I.T experience at Chevron Nigeria Limited and I had a very wonderful experience there. I would like to practise various things I had learnt and witnessed there but, on the other side, I would like to further my education by pursuing a masters and PhD programme in chemical engineering. I am looking at top universities in United States. I am also looking out for possible placement in the oil and gas sector. Although, I am going for service (NYSC), I just pray to God, He only knows tomorrow.
What are your aspirations?
Well, my approach to life issues is very simple and, in as much as one has to have a long term goal, I prefer to look at things in the shortest possible way and exercise my efforts towards the short term goals. I am sure of is that I would like to give back to the society what it gave to me by teaching and impacting lives. But how these would be, I cannot tell. Maybe I would come back and be a lecturer. As regards marriage, yes, but God knows best. I am just acting according to His plans for my life.
What are your advices to students and youths?
For students, I know we don’t like reading. I say we because somewhere, I share such passions as well, but it is good to endure. It is good to appreciate the efforts of our guardians and parents by way of paying our school fees and taking care of us. The onus is on us, students, to make them proud always by taking our education serious because we are the future. Our parents and the society look up to us.