*Impressed Gov Sanwo-Olu gifts girl with N10m
*My success story – Aminat Yusuf
By KEMI KASUMU
A total of 282 out of 10,000 graduating Lagos State University students were, on Wednesday June 21, 2023, awarded First Class degrees during the combined 2021 and 2022 convocation ceremonies of the institution.
The Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, in an earlier briefing, disclosed this at a media parley at the University’s Senate Chamber Building at the main campus in Ojo, Lagos, saying this year’s convocation ceremonies would be a two-in-one event.
True to her word, it was not only a two-in-one event but also an tremendously excellent academic package that saw the 282 First Class students are among the over 10,000 students that gained their First Degrees programme from the university in the two academic sessions 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 of the institution.
It was the university’s her highest number of the first class graduands in her 40 years history.
The VC announced the overall best Student of the 2020/2021 Academic Session as Lopez Feyisayo Divine from the Department of Physiology, Lagos State University College of Medicine with a CGPA of 4.91.
The VC also announced the biggest of the academic excellent performers, saying Aminat Imoitesemeh Yusuf, with a CGPA of 5.00, is the Overall Best graduating Student in history for the 2021/2022 Academic Session.
She had asserted that the university, with commitment to guaranteeing healthy competition among students to bring the best out of them, gave out scholarships worth 50 percent to over 600 students who were on CGPA of 4.5 and above which is a policy that the institution will continue to sustain for each academic year.
While highlighting the achievements recorded in her administration, which include the Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative STEM Education (ACEITSE) recording 100 percent graduation of Ph.D. students in record time with collaborations by international schools, and four professors from the institution being named among the top scientists in Nigeria and top two globally.
She stated that the Center for Response and Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence was established in line with the institution’s strides to achieve the strategic goal of making the university the research, innovation, and development hub of Lagos for Lagos State and National development.
In a recent global university ranking, the Lagos State University, Ojo was ranked the best university in West Africa by the UI Greenmetrics Global Ranking for the year 2022, as it was recognised as the most eco-friendly university in West Africa.
She stated that the institution would continue to blaze the trail in all socio-academic activities with a vision of becoming the best university in West Africa.
Impressed Gov Sanwo-Olu gifts girl with N10m
At the main arena of the convocation ceremonies, held in Buba Marwa Hall of the LASU on Wednesday June 21, Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, enthusiastic particularly seeing her to be an Hijab wearing Muslim girl, announced cash rewards totaling N10 million for Aminal Imoitesemeh Yusuf, the graduate of Law, for being brilliant performer as first in 40 years of the institution’s history to score average Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.0 and overall best graduating student of the Lagos State University in 2021/2022.
The DEFENDER reports that Yusuf emerged as overall best graduating student for the 2021/2022 set with a CGPA of 5.00 (First Class Honours).
Sanwo-Olu announced the cash reward during the school’s 26th convocation ceremony’s grand finale, held on Thursday June 22, 2023.
The governor, apparently impressed, had said that he would reward Yusuf with N5 million while also gifted her with another N5 million on behalf of the Lagos State Government.
My success story – Aminat Yusuf
Meanwhile, speaking to newsmen, Yusuf, an indigene of Edo State, thanked her parents for motivating and inspiring her to achieve the feat.
She recounted her ordeals as an undergraduate and how she overcame them all to achieve and emerge as best graduating student of her set.
“The events of the past few days have motivated me to share in brief my story, in a bid to inspire many others who are in similar situation as I was and are striving towards excellence.
”I called for financial support only under compelling circumstances, after I have exhausted all options.
“As a result, I experienced some serious financial constraints during my two plus four years stay at LASU.
“In 200 Level, second semester, just because I needed to get a browsing phone and get trained in computer skills, I saved up about 90 percent of my feeding allowance,” Aminat Yusuf said.
She said that she settled for garri and groundnuts for a larger part of the semester, which one of her friends considered absurd and told every available listener.
“For most part of my days an undergraduate, I lived in the university premises, because I had no hostel, and going home everyday would have been absolutely inconvenient.
“The school had a stand-by security and standard lighting system, so, it was safe for me; my major challenge was having to attend lectures everyday in a neatly ironed white and black dress, acting like everything was perfect,” Yusuf said.
She also spoke on her first day in LASU for the physical screening, towards admission into diploma in law programme.
“I remember fantasising about achieving a remarkable feat in this prestigious university.
“I first did Diploma in Law programme, which runs for two years, in which students are taught compulsory law courses, with a view to offering direct entry admission to top class students.
“I studied really hard and prayed so fervently towards achieving excellence; I graduated from the programme with a CGPA of 4.98 and this was the best in my set.
“The possibility of graduating with such grade motivated the yearning to graduate with a perfect CGPA at the undergraduate level,” Yusuf said.
She called on well-meaning Nigerians to invest in the education sector and lauded the passing into law of the Student Loan Act in the country.
“I believe this will no doubt be of immeasurable value to our education system.
“While I struggled financially through my education, I don’t desire such hardship for students coming behind us, especially the female students,” Yusuf said.
She appreciated the LASU management for sustaining the congenial and conducive environment that contributed to her excellent performance.
“I am deeply grateful to my parents for their sacrifice, unwavering support towards my education.
“My parents really motivated me from their different careers; my father is a journalist while my mother is a business woman.
“Thanks to my faculty lecturers for their reflex of excellence, commitment and dedication teaching us to be the best.
“I will like to use this opportunity to launch a YouTube channel tagged “Learning Law with Aminat with a goal of giving back to society through my immediate community,” Yusuf said.
