I’m happy for myself. I know a day like this will come when I will say something about my studentship, the struggle and all. I keep my records right here for posterity sake!
Alhamdulillah for everything. I’m a record maker, a champion! I graduated with First Class (Hons), 4.65/5.0 CGPA!
With Dr Sunday Abraham Ogunode, I jointly hold this record for the highest cumulative grade point average in the Department of History and International Studies, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. Dr Ogunode has occupied this position since 2006!
There are no perfect words to express my feelings at the moment. I give thanks to Almighty Allah who ease my affairs though human agency. My potential would have wasted away if I didn’t meet special humans in my life.
My studentship was not entirely blissful; full of good and bad memories. Back in 2017, I already gave up on my life. Schooling was not part of my discussion as I already accepted my fate to learn barbing or follow timber operators in the far Ayinrin, Agbon-Jegede, Olopon, Igangan-Ijesha farms to cut timbers.
I could remember begging some days to rest. Twenty-four hours was like a minute under intense work in the deep forest. I never knew how to operate the machine and as of 2018, I was already trying to operate the chainsaw. I knew vividly that I was not going to make it out of the village.
The very best student in primary and secondly school gradually fading away. I would cry countless times when I imagined Tadese not furthering his school.
All my mates got admission into tertiary institutions immediately after our valedictory service in 2017. Poor boy, I was hoping for the best, I kept meeting people for help so that I could just leave the village.
My Dad was everything. If he was alive, I wouldn’t be facing this kind of financial problem. Life happens. When I wrote JAMB and got admission to study History and International Studies in AAUA, my life flashed before me because I knew there was no place on earth where I could get the acceptance fee of N50, 000, not to talk of school fee of N100, 000.
We leased out Dad’s farm to raise the acceptance fee. Bro Sodiq also came to my rescue to balance up the fee. I used my JAMB reg. number throughout my 100L first semester because I couldn’t get the school fee.
I wish nobody, I mean no human being, go through my experience! I was teaching my colleagues, taking tutorials and yet, I was a defaulter.
Dr S.A. Ogunode always seemed to be friendly when taking us in classes and when giving us fatherly advice in 100L. After his lecture, I approached him and explained everything to him about my story and how he can be of help, especially in terms of finance. It was raining and I was already soaked from the rain before I could make it to his office after the lecture, so he didn’t see the tears slipping down my cheeks.
In summary, Prof got me scholarship opportunities that eased my financial burden. I was one of the first beneficiaries of the AAUA Alumni Edu Fund in 100L second semester. I got my school fee paid and, the rest is history. This was one of the best moments in my life. I was the speaker for all the beneficiaries and also, I had the highest GPA of 4.68, making me the best among the beneficiaries.
My experience as a researcher is through his mentorship. He saw the potential in me and invests in me. I have presented many academic papers in conferences both in Nigeria and United States. I wouldn’t have gone this far as an undergraduate without the help and mentorship of Dr Ogunode!
Nothing ease in school more than this! I could relax, read and play with my colleagues because there was no room to think of school fee burden. Thanks to my brother, Sodiq who also took me like his blood brother throughout the journey. He occupied my experience with the NYSC scheme!
Thank you so much Dr Sunday Abraham Ogunode! Thank you Prof Adebisi Alade. I am very grateful. Thank you AAUA Alumni! Thank you, Christina Jacobs for being there for me all the time, I love you so much C Always! Thank you bro Okegbemi Ebenezer, Thank you brother Kasumu Sodiq, thank you brother Alaje Godwin, thank you Mrs Joan Kelly, Thank you Alhaji Abass Muhammed (my landlord), thank you Islamiyah Badmus, thank you Dhikrullah, Abdul-Azeed Muhammed, thank you everyone who come together to be my family.
I wish my mum was here today to witness this success. To my guess, I hope she’s happy too. I hope both of them are happy. Thank you for bringing me to this world and giving me the best experience during the short time we spent together. I wish you stayed a little longer to witness all my promises to give you life, explore places with you and all.
I really wish, but Allah knows best! Mr C.O. Faforiji, the record keeper, I wish you knew I studied history, your preferred field of study. I wish you could witness the process when I was collecting information to work on Amuye-Faforiji’s history. I wish I had someone I could be showing my results to every semester to wow at them. It’s unfortunate I never set my eyes on any of your documents. I would have been more passionate about the history and story of southern Ijeshaland.
Nobody would been happier than you! I know this. You would have travelled miles to get me records and your letters, your records of migrations and every possible things I need to know like you used to tell us about the wars in this region.
It was only Kabiesi, Oba Adebayo Faforiji that could relate some to me. I know nobody again, Dad! I travelled countless times to the Archives to get things you could have related to me. If there is truly an intermediary, help me to tell him his son is the best in his area of study! Do the same for Mama, my queen. My only hope who left me when I thought the struggle was over. Mum, I will forever love you and will continue to make you proud!
This is the threshold and I have officially crushed this. I have zero doubt about the future and what it holds. I am a champion, a global talent. I am the best in anything I do!
I will continue to be the hope for the hopeless, work towards giving hope to the marginalized groups of people, diligent students and the aged. I have come to live to pursue no other career than to give hope to humanity.
If you never believe in yourself, do now! You are unstoppable and you can achieve every possible thing you can ever think of!
Congratulations, Obaloluwa!
