7 Years a Student: An Account of My Undergraduate Years
I should have started writing this piece weeks ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to start. I couldn’t because even though I knew I had done my outstanding exams well and I should graduate, I was still anxious. I went through a lot as an undergraduate, and that feeling was legitimate. I’m relieved now, Alhamdulillah, and that is why I’m writing.
On Wednesday, 4th of August 2021, after 6 academic years (and 7 calendar years), I finally bagged a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering with Second Class Honours (Lower Division).
This piece is about my experiences as an Engineering undergraduate in the University of Ilorin, Nigeria: my failures and my successes.
A Few Things:
1. The plan was always to write a book about my university life when (if) I eventually make it; as the story of a successful man is always very interesting to read. But:
I. I count me finishing after everything I went through, a success already. So I don’t think I need to wait till I make it big before I share my story.
II. I can write this and still write a book later, because even though this might be a long piece, there are still so many I things I wouldn’t be able to fit in. So let’s do with the summary now, and if God wills, enter all the details and other stories in a book, later in the future.
2. I’m not sure why I’m writing this. Or let me say I’m writing for a lot of reasons: to celebrate myself for eventually finishing, to share some lessons I learnt in school, to inspire people like me, or just so I could share a story to people who want to read. Any of this option is enough. I hope you enjoy reading this.
3. There were a lot of persons who were part of my journey, but for obvious (and non-obvious) reasons, I’ll not mention names or share pictures of those persons in this piece. I’ll leave that for the book (if it eventually gets written).
4. I’m 24, and I’m an extremely blessed child. Yet, I consider finishing this degree as one of my biggest achievements till date. Maybe after you finish reading this piece, you’ll understand why I place so much value to it, or maybe not. But yes, this means a lot to me.
5. I have so many things to say. I’m not sure the structure of the piece will be great, but I intend to be as real and bare as possible. I’ll probably come back to this post in the future and feel like I’ve revealed too much. But that’s the point — to reveal.
6. A lot of the things I’ll write about happened years ago. I have a retentive memory and everything you’ll read here is true. However, I might get some details wrong, such as the exact time an event happened. But the core of whatever I say is exactly as it happened.
7. I’m trying to narrate events that happened across a period of 6–7 years, and even though I’ll be very selective of the issues I talk about, this is still going to be a long piece. If you like me or my style of writing, you could finish it in one read, but if you’re a lazy reader or a busy person, it’s okay to pause and finish it at your own pace.
So, follow me as I talk about my experience as an undergraduate.
100 LEVEL — 2014/2015
2014 was a good year. It was the year I celebrated my first trophy as an active Arsenal fan after we ended our 9-year trophy drought, it was the year I got admitted to study the course I (somewhat) wanted — Chemical Engineering, and also the year I became an uncle for the first time. Not a bad year at all.
I always wanted to be an Aeronautical Engineer, but because there was no Nigerian university offering that course (to standard) as at 2013 when I finished secondary school, I decided to study Mechanical Engineering in the University of Ibadan. My UTME result wasn’t good enough, so I knew I had to wait till the next year.
I didn’t want to stay at home for a year, so I decided to go for the pre-degree programme in Unilorin. I applied for a pre-degree in Chemical Engineering but I was offered Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, and I took it.
I was lucky enough to meet Engineering cut-off for UTME the second time, and to score 84 percent in my post-UTME exam. And then I got admitted as a proper UTME student and not a pre-degree student; which meant Chemical and not Water Resources and Environmental for my undergraduate.
100 level was okay. I had good friends: friends from my secondary school who were already in school for a year, friends from the pre-degree programme I had made some months before resumption, and some new ones I met at the beginning of the session. So, settling in the school environment was easy (so I thought). But 100 level made me very annoyed at the system. We were just too much, and it was as though the system didn’t care about us. It was extremely bad at the beginning that you could get to class 10 minutes before lecture time and there wouldn’t be space for you to stand. Read that again: I didn’t say a space to sit, but a space to stand! And if you managed to stand at the back, you would hardly understand what the lecturer was teaching, because who grabs well when they’re standing far away from the lecturer and uncomfortable?
The situation improved over time though, and there were more groups, which meant that less students in the lecture theatres. And this was where I made my first mistake as a student.
I hardly took lectures with the Engineering students, and I went to class with my friends from other faculties instead. I didn’t think this was a problem, as I was attending the right lectures anyway, but what I didn’t realize was that, more than what the lecturer was teaching, making friends with the right persons — the people who were doing the same programme as me — was more important. I hardly had any friend in my department, while my course mates already had cliques.
I didn’t do excellently academically, but I didn’t fail any course either, and I fulfilled all the requirements to cross to 200 level with the little effort I had put.
A lot happened that year, but many of them, not significant enough to be mentioned in this piece. But one thing I learnt after I finished that level was that; it is very important to have the right team to achieve success in anything you want to do. You can have a very good friend, and that friend would be a bad idea for a co-founder or business partner.
I tried to start something then — The Awakeners — but I didn’t look beyond my circle. My friends were good people, but what I wanted them to do was not what they were good at. I learnt that.
I wrote about The Awakeners in this piece.
200 LEVEL — 2015/2016
200 level was when real life started. I had finished my foundational year and I had to start proper Engineering. This same year, the only close Engineering friend I had in 100 level, left our school, and many of my close friends left the main campus to go to a different campus. That meant I had to start the settling again. I didn’t see it as an issue, because truly it wasn’t. All I wanted to do was to get more serious with my academics as our CGPA would start counting from that level.
Then again, I had to deal with the system. I had to wrestle (literally) to get into school as transportation was really messed up, and then I had to queue to get out of school. I was getting really stressed, but I still dealt with it, as I had my good distractions. I wasn’t the only one going through it anyway; many people were going through the same issues and they were doing just fine.
1st semester result was released and this was where my issues started. I wrote 9 courses and I don’t know why I decided to sample all the possible grades. I had all of A, B, C, D, E and F. The F was very devastating because it was in the only departmental course that I did that semester. But to be honest, I have no explanation for why I failed that course, because it was the course I studied for the most, and the exam wasn’t bad at all. I felt so terrible when I saw the result and I was scared. Scared because if I had failed because I hadn’t prepared, I would have known what to do better the next year. But I did what I could; I studied well, I crammed what was necessary and did all the things that we were advised to do. Till this moment that I write this, I still remember some questions (and answers) from that course. But I failed it, smh.
I called the course lecturer who was also my Level Adviser and I told her that I wanted to challenge the result. She told me it was not possible as the examination was computer-based and computers don’t make mistakes.
The F wasn’t even an unlucky F, it was a very poor one — 23 😭 — and knowing that in the same course, people had comfortable A’s, I just didn’t know what to do or think. It was hard to accept, but I didn’t have any choice.
Then there was also the case of Engineering Mathematics. That course was easy for any serious student to pass. I already did the test well, and with minimal effort, I was sure I’d be able to manage to get a C. But I wanted nothing less than an A, so I studied hard, and on the eve of the exam, studied overnight. That was another of the big mistakes I made. I got to the exam hall and all of the questions were very familiar and looked easy, until when I started and I had a brain block! I literally forgot the things I stayed awake to learn. The painful thing was after doing all I could and trying to remember but I couldn’t, immediately I submitted and left the hall, checking a line from the workings in my jotter made me remember every step. It was later that I realised that I had the brain block due to a lack of sleep.
If it hadn’t happened to me, I wouldn’t have been able to understand how people have brain blocks. But maybe that was the universe’s way of teaching me that “don’t think it can never happen to you”, and also, “knowing thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” Since that day, I learnt that I had to sleep for a few hours at least before my exams, and I never made that mistake till I finished. I later had a D in the course; 22/30 in test, and 23/70 in exam.
2nd semester started and this period literally changed everything. I was still trying to recover from my poor result and then life happened. I had issues from every angle of my life: I kept on falling sick and I had to miss a lot of classes, I had some family issues, and I had other general issues that I had to deal with. I wanted to get more serious with school, but it was impossible to be. Luckily for me (so I thought), things improved before exam period, and I tried to catch up, but I couldn’t do just enough.
I was trying to bounce back from the sickness and other life issues, with the pressure to do better than the “poor” 1st semester. All these without having close course mates to study with; I was alone, basically.
I’m not proud to say this, but I failed 4 out of 10 courses that semester. Although I strongly feel I shouldn’t have failed at least 2 of those 4 courses, this piece isn’t intended to give excuses about why I failed the courses or to justify my failure, so I’ll just move on and not bore you with stories of how I was messed up.
Immediately after 2nd semester, was Students Work Experience Programme (SWEP)/ 3rd Semester. There was no time for me to properly rest and process what was happening, but it was greatly affecting me. Life really, is a very unstable place. Academics used to be my forte in primary and secondary school, and all of a sudden it was something that I was struggling with. I was doing so terribly at it and I didn’t even know what to do about that. I think if I was an average student right from time, it could have been a little easier to deal with, but I was a smart student, and then all of a sudden I was poor. It was a situation that was foreign, it was a struggle that I didn’t know how to deal with. School was a war, and I was losing every battle…
During SWEP, my mental health still wasn’t in the right place. It wasn’t very obvious though, but I was hurting and I didn’t know what to do. There were days when I walked over 7km just to feel better and days when I trekked in the rain too. Omoh, I walked the streets of Ilorin.
But SWEP was good. I got more familiar with my mates, made friends across the faculty and even played football. My team won the SWEP League and I was our first choice striker. I was the 3rd highest goal scorer of the league and the 2nd highest goal scorer of the SWEP competitions (League + Cup), and I scored arguably the best goal of the League. I played basketball for fun too a few times. I was going through a hard time, but I was having a good time.
PS: Some of my friends, aka haterzz/agendists/agenda-pushers will have an issue with this paragraph, and that is exactly why I have included it— to pepper them.
Let’s digress:
I might have gone through a lot as a student in Unilorin, but I also engaged in a lot of activities.
On sports; I played in three inter-level football competitions (HOD’s Cup) at the departmental level and my class won 2 of those, and got second place in the last one. My team won the SWEP League, I played in the SWEP Cup, I also represented my department at 3 Inter-departmental football tournaments (Dean’s Cup), and we made the semis in one of the editions. I also played in about 2 more tournaments representing my level. My football wasn’t just on campus; I (at some point), regularly played football with my friends outside school too. I also represented my level at one inter-level 4x100m relay, and we took silver.
I’ve highlighted this to show that even though at almost every point as a student, I was dealing with stuff, I didn’t let that stop me from engaging in activities that I found interesting. And I don’t regret making that decision.
Let’s come back:
200 level was really tough. It was the year I had studied most in my life, and also the year I failed terribly. It was the same year I nursed different sicknesses at numerous points, and the year I dealt with a lirru heartbreak, smh. I also made friends, took my writing more seriously and learnt a lot. It was also the year that I knew that the chance of me having an extra year in school was high as records showed I might not be able to register all of my courses. That realization was hard, but I didn’t want to think about it too deeply as I felt the future could be nice to me.
Was it? Well…
300 LEVEL — 2016/2017
100 level was the foundational year and it was okay. 200 level was introduction to Engineering and it was stressful academically. But 300 level was on another level. We focused on the department, did new courses, had departmental practicals and also had to do courses from Chemistry — with one of them being an 8-hour straight practical every other Wednesday. But I’m not going to give specific details about my personal academic issues, as it was this level other things began to happen. I still failed though, just not as much as I did in 200 level.
300 level first semester, I was able to register the one course I failed in the previous year and I had to drop another course to be done later. But second semester was crazy. As at then, the school’s maximum units for one semester was 24 — which was lesser than the number of units we had to do in 300 level because of a new addition to the curriculum. That meant that we had to collectively request for an extra unit each, as students of the department. The implication of this was that people who had carry-overs would not be able to register a single course, no matter the unit. Or alternatively, they could register the outstanding courses and drop the new courses.
300 level was tough for us mehn. It was in that level a lot of students’ CGPA tanked, and it wasn’t just because we had so much to do, it was also because the lecturers had issues with our set.
Let me take you through 2 of the reasons why they had issues with us:
1. One of our lecturers set a lecture outside the timetable because he was trying to catchup and help us understand the course. He set the class at (say 11am) of a particular date and told us to attend. It was inconvenient but many people didn’t have a choice, as he was trying to help us anyway. A few students complained on the group chat — amongst ourselves — but that didn’t mean they were not going to attend the class.
The day arrived and the lecturer got to the class earlier than he scheduled. He met just a few persons in class and instructed one of them to send a message to the class group chat and inform the rest of us that he was in the class.
I don’t know why and how, but he took the person’s phone and saw the messages from some of my course mates. He felt offended by some of those messages and… trouble! To be honest, those messages were not good; but those persons were probably frustrated. Our group chat was supposed to be a safe space, nobody would have imagined that the messages would have leaked, not to talk of the lecturer seeing them.
This matter caused a lot of issues. The narrative in the department was that we were disrespectful, unserious and wicked. Many lecturers changed the way they related with us and that definitely had some effect. I like to believe they didn’t exactly mark us down, but they didn’t relate well with us for a long time, and we also weren’t free with them.
300 level was always going to be stressful. And then we added this.
2. The second event was another unfortunate one. Our Level Adviser (LA) was on leave, so we hardly saw her. She still tried for us though, and came to school once in a while— at her own scheduled time — to deal with matters that concerned her.
So, we were supposed to write an exam for one of our Chemistry courses and that exam happens a week before the beginning of general exams. We needed our course forms to write the exam and many of my mates had not signed theirs. Our LA was going to come to school before the beginning of our own exams to sign the remaining course forms, but her convenient time was after the Chemistry exam.
Many of us had already signed, and there was an alternative for those who hadn’t — which was to meet another lecturer to sign. But I don’t know if they weren’t aware, or if they were not confident enough to meet up with the lecturer, but they decided to forge the Level Adviser’s signature to write that exam.
They were caught during the exam and that caused another problem for us. To the lecturers, we were not just disrespectful and unserious, we were also the notorious set that had taken it upon ourselves to spoil the name of the department.
It was a serious offence, and you can imagine what more that was going to cause.
I can’t blame us — the students — for many of the things that caused thee lecturers not to like us, and if I’m being fair, I wouldn’t blame the lecturers either. We were all victims of a failed educational system.
For the lecturers; imagine still having responsibilities while on leave, or being too choked with work that you miss your own lecture time and have to schedule to another time?
And for us students; imagine having to go through the issues of a bad system while dealing with your own personal issues? Definitely not easy, my friend.
Moving away from school issues, 300 level was a good year. I had made meaningful friendships, many of which helped me grow, and still helps me. I was still writing well, I read more outside of school, and I was living a productive life. It was also in 300 level I got the chance to work as a content writer and strategist with a startup. Also in that level, I got more popular amongst my course mates, faculty mates and the whole school in general.
It was that time the Writers Guild of Unilorin was founded, and I was an active member. That group had some of the smartest persons and the most brilliant writers in the university. I wrote more, we chilled together, and learnt from one another. I was nominated for some writing awards, I was actively involved in volunteering through some organizations, and I did many other productive things.
I was meeting great persons, getting popular, growing , and living a better life than in 200 level, but my grades were still there.
It was almost the end of the session and it was time for the Inter-Faculty Quiz and Debate Championships. One of my closest friends was representing Engineering at the quiz and they had made the semi-finals. I’ve always enjoyed intellectual stuff, so I followed the championship.
On the day of the final of the quiz was when I discovered that Engineering made the debate finals, and that was when I watched a proper, competitive British Parliamentary Debate for the first time. Engineering won the debate that day, and seeing that we won, I was happy and I made a decision to represent the faculty at the next edition, make the final and make myself and the faculty proud.
I got really interested in debate, and luckily for me, after that tournament, the faculty organized its own Inter-departmental Debate Tournament and I represented my department. I hadn’t really mastered the British Parliamentary (BP) Style of debating, and there was not much competition because most of us were just getting introduced to the BP style. I spoke well at the prelims and after that, it was a straight break to final.
At the final, we balloted and I and my partner were to speak from Closing Opposition. The motion for the final wasn’t so easy, but I had an idea, and we were able to generate arguments. But out of being a nice person, and because I felt like both opening and closing opposition were on the same side, during our 15 minutes prep-time, I gave some of our arguments to the Opening Opposition team because we prepped together, lol. I didn’t have an issue with that because I felt I was going to explain better. Anyway, I gave my speech, engaged the government side, made people laugh and to be honest, carried the audience along more than anyone else in that debate that day.
I thought I had done well until when the result was announced and we came 4th out of 4 teams because we had no extension. Our opening of course won that final. I was heartbroken and I felt cheated, and many of the audience felt the ranking wasn’t fair. But BP has its rules, and my team didn’t play by them because we were ignorant. We absolutely deserved that 4th, but I accepted that only after I became a proper debater and I understood BP better.
I’ll talk more about debate as we proceed.
Let’s come back.
300 level was obviously good for me, and it was the year I laid the foundation for a lot of the good things that I did. I displayed so much strength in that level because I was still not doing as good as I should in my academics and it was really worrying. But I found a way to grow, regardless. I didn’t feel dull as I moved with some of the smartest people in the school and never felt intimidated by them. I knew I had to find a way to improve in my academics as I was growing in the other aspects of life too.
Did I? We’ll see…
400 LEVEL — 2017/2018
The beginning of 400 Level, things were okay. I continued doing my stuff and I had understood the system better, and was adapting well.
During the 300 Level holiday, I had the chance to put an end to arguably my biggest issue as of then — my struggle with academics. I had the opportunity to study at another institution outside the country and the process to move started actively and got to about 39.731 percent before life happened and it failed. I was ready to leave school after 3 years to start again, as I was convinced that starting all over was a good opportunity. When that fell through, I didn’t feel too bad, and I moved on very easily.
400 level was going to be just a semester instead of the normal two, as the second semester period was for Industrial Training (IT). That meant that I had no opportunity to register the 2nd semester courses I had failed.
Academic issues were okay — just okay.
I decided to take my writing a step further by publishing a book. It has always been my dream to be an author, and then I wrote and published my first book — Kol Tuv CHAVIVA. So much drama surrounded the whole book thing, especially during the time I launched it, but the general reception was great. It was the kind of book that would sell among university students. You would expect that young people would enjoy reading a book of poetry and prose that talks about love and heartbreak.
Months later, I also worked with 7 other poets — with me being one of the 2 main poets — to create 30 — A Poetry Collection. It started as a 30-day poetry challenge between me and another poet friend of mine, and other poets joined along the line too. So after 30 days of writing poems on different topics, I decided to compile the poems and make a proper e-book from the poems. You can read 30 here.
First semester finished and it was time for IT. I decided to remain in Ilorin for my IT and any other activity I wanted to engage in. Two main things happened during this period that I’ll like to share:
A. Departmental Presidential Election
B. Debate
A. Departmental Presidential Election
I’ve always loved being responsible and helping people in my own way, and I’ve always thought that two of the easiest ways to achieve that is by being a teacher or by occupying a leadership position.
I was not really interested in any form of politics because I didn’t like their politicking. But things changed in 400 level; probably due to my involvement in some departmental activities, or because I saw politics as the gateway to achieving some very important things. Another thing that would have stopped me from running for major political posts in school was the issue of CGPA (depending on the post I wanted to run for, and the level of politics I was going to be involved with). But that clause of CGPA wasn’t in my departmental constitution, and after so much consideration, I decided to run for president of my departmental association — Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Unilorin Students’ Chapter.
I thought that the outgoing administration did some impressive work, and I knew two of my classmates were already interested in being president. I could have easily gone for another position, or just decide to help the administration from the outside, but I decided to run because I believe “if you want something done to your satisfaction, you have to do it yourself.”
I decided to run for president late and I was going to run against 2 of my classmates, with both of them having held political positions in the department, and one of them being my good friend and the first person I told about my ambition. My departmental people were apathetic towards politics, and suddenly, there were 3 people trying to run for one position; it was going to be a special election — one for the books.
It was the time for screening and I was to face the electoral committee. They didn’t have much problems with me, apart from my CGPA, especially because the two other candidates were on 4points+, and were really book-smart. “You should be trying to build your CGPA. If elected, how are you going to combine the expectations that comes with being president and your academics?” — the electoral committee asked. “What is dead may never die. Not being president wouldn’t magically increase my CGPA, and I shouldn’t let what I’m not doing well at, affect what I believe I’ll do great at. My academics remains my priority, but I’m sure running for this position wouldn’t make things worse than they already are.” — I replied.
I answered every question and fulfilled all requirements, and I was cleared to participate in the election.
I won the election comfortably, taking more than half of the votes. I didn’t just win the election across every other level, I also won the 400 level (our class mates) votes. Winning that election made me believe that people rated me, that they saw me and they liked who I was and what I did. Even though I doubted myself many times and wasn’t sure I could win the elections, the result made me feel that people believed in me. I had to believe in me also — more than I ever did.
And I did.
B. Debate
Remember at the end of 300 level I decided that I was going to represent Faculty of Engineering and Technology at the annual Inter-Faculty Debate Tournament? Oh yeah, I got the chance to represent the faculty, and I made the faculty A-team together with a mate from Mechanical Engineering department. I participated in both Debate and Public Speaking — debate category was a team thing and public speaking, an individual one.
My team made the outrounds of the debate category, but we were knocked out at the quarter finals. It was painful, but I made the final of the Public Speaking category and that was good consolation. Like I wanted, I was speaking on the podium, although not as a debater, but as a public speaker.
Of the many that started the championship, just five students across 15 faculties made the final of the public speaking. I gave a good speech and I hoped to win. Then something crazy happened during the announcement of the result.
I listened to the other speeches and was pretty confident I would make top 3 at least — if I didn’t end up winning. But when the result was announced, I wasn’t announced as the winner or any of the runners up. I was lowkey disappointed, but got really disappointed (and pissed) when some persons on the judging panel walked up to me to apologize. Apparently, in that final I was the 1st runner-up, losing out on the championship by <2%. But while the chair (chief judge) of that final was writing the names of the winners for announcement, she mixed up the result and somehow managed to omit my name, wtf!?
I’d have easily moved on if I had missed out on the awards fairly, but this was a mistake — a mistake that wasn’t rectified. I didn’t get an apology from the person who made the mistake — not then, and not later. But I got an apology from the (then) secretary of the debate club. The issue made us have our first proper conversation, and we’ve been good friends ever since. She apologized on behalf of the person who made the mistake and told me to attend trainings so that I could join the debate club properly.
This issue happened in June, and that marked the beginning of my debating career.
In September, I got an offer to debate at Word War — an open debate tournament hosted by Unilorin — because they needed someone to complete a team. I remember I was editing some pictures when I got the offer. I had been doing a lot of photographing and editing at the studio I learnt photography when I got the call. It was an opportunity to take a break from photography, and to learn and speak against some top guys, so I took that opportunity. I spoke with the guy who won the first Inter-Faculty debate for our faculty. It was a bigger stage and a tougher tournament, but somehow we were impressive.
Our debate coach liked our team and gave us a chance to speak as a swing team, representing the university at the All Nigerian Universities Debate Championship (ANUDC), days after Word War — also hosted by Unilorin that year. It was a huge one for me, I only participated in Word War because they needed someone to fill a space, and then I was going to speak against debaters from other universities around the country in the biggest Nigerian tournament.
Again, my partner and I were impressive and would have easily made the break to the outrounds, but we were ineligible as we were a swing team. I also represented the university at Public Speaking and made the semi-finals. It was a great tournament, and that was when I felt like I could do more in debating.
Before I move on to other things, let me give a summary of my debating career after then:
ANUDC was September 2018, and in January 2019, I went for my first tournament outside the school — where my partner and I won the Genesis Debate Open (Novice Category) in Accra, Ghana. I also represented the university in other tournaments across the different zones in Nigeria — doing well at some and disappointing at a few others. I represented the university as an adjudicator in December 2019 at the Pan-African Universities Debate Championship, Kumasi, Ghana — where I was awarded as the 3rd Best New Judge in Africa and the 7th Best Adjudicator in Africa.
Also, in the union, I made the final of Expose 1.0 and won Expose 2.0. I served as the Chief Adjudicator twice at the annual Inter-Faculty Debate Championship, and was the chief Adjudicator at Expose 3.0.
My debate CV is not one of the most impressive, but I am satisfied with the little achievements I had over the period I was active as a debater.
What I consider as my favourite achievement in debate however, isn’t the medals or awards I won, it isn’t that I have a trophy the Vice Chancellor has put in his office, and it isn’t that I got to shake the Vice Chancellor on different occasions. What I love the most about my career is the way debate changed the way I think, the relationships that I made from it, the travels, the chance to have represented the university as a struggling student, and the opportunity to have introduced and trained — together with 2 of my mates — other students from the faculty; students who are now great speakers — who already have better careers than us, or are about to.
Debate gave me the opportunity to make an impact, to learn a lot, and to feel good about myself — and I’m sincerely grateful to my coach, past and present members of University of Ilorin Debate Club, and every other person who helped me in my journey as a debater.
I stopped debating (speaking) for over one year now, but it’s a part of me now, and I can always return whenever I want.
Let’s come back:
400 Level was good, it allowed me the time to do many non-academic stuff, it was the year I met the most beautiful girl in the world, and also the year I improved on the good stuff I did.
500 LEVEL — 2018/2019
Even though a large percentage of my friends graduated after 400 level, 500 level was arguably my best year as an undergraduate. I was president of my department, and during my tenure, my team and I were able to achieve a lot. I gave a summary of our achievements here.
That year, I combined being the president and being an active debater with all the stress that came with final year project and academics, and I believe I did well doing that, because I had my best result in that level and did well at the other stuff too.
Being my 5th year in the university, I had understood that as much as you study, there are other things you also have to do to get good grades. I was close with many of my classmates, so I knew who to meet for what. I had studied the lecturers so it was easier to predict what each one of them wanted. 500 level wasn’t easier, and it wasn’t that I read way more than I did in the lower levels, it was just that I understood the system better. I realised that to conquer any system, you have to understand it. And that is one lesson that I will apply in everything I do.
Also in 500 level, I decided to involve myself in organizing programmes. In this regard, I was part of two teams. In one, we organized a Coding Bootcamp for students, and in the other, a Graphic Design Training for students and professionals. Being a core member of those teams and not having any of coding or design skill was challenging, but I learnt a lot from working in those teams.
Being president meant that I was involved in politics, and being involved meant that I knew some of the biggest problems the political community of Unilorin suffered from. Hence, the reason for another initiative that I started. I put a team together — The Win Strategists — to solve some of the problems of electioneering in the school, and make some money from giving value, but it failed. I wrote about it here.
I was the number one student executive of the department and I was a struggling one. The good thing about that though, was that it made me understand many students’ struggles, and made it easier for them to relate with me.
I can tell you categorically that a large percentage of the issues students face in Nigerian institutions is due to faults in the system; it feels as though the system was designed to mess you up in one way or the other. But in spite of it all, some extremely brilliant and fortunate students succeed; hence the reason some lecturers say students fail because students are not serious. They refuse to see the nuances, and forget that not just the students, but also them, are victims of the same system. And a world where victims don’t cause a further divide amongst themselves, but rather work together, is a world that progresses. I’m not saying lecturers should pass undeserving students, but (some) lecturers need to be more accessible and stop seeing themselves as demigods.
500 level was a fulfilling year. I made impacts, improved myself and learnt a lot. I was also recognised in different ways — I was nominated as the Departmental President of The Year in the annual Students Union Awards, I won the President of The Year in the Nigerian Universities Engineering Students’ Association (NUESA) Awards, and I also won some other awards at the departmental level.
But as great as 500 level was, it ended in tears — unavoidable tears. I knew I wasn’t going to graduate, because I had no space to fit in my courses, and even though I had improved in my academics, I still needed to pay my debt by passing my outstanding courses. The possibility of staying back for a year had been there since 200 level and I had been preparing myself, but it didn’t stop me from being dejected when the graduating list was released. I realised that no matter hard you try, you can never fully prepare for a tragedy. Even if you’ve seen it coming for a long time, when tragedy hits you, it is going to shake you.
After the graduating list was released, I decided to start a group — The Resistance Group — for people that couldn’t graduate. The reason behind the group was so everyone could have a place to belong, as I knew and was beginning to understand how depressing that phase could be. And more importantly, to make sure that every member of the group made good use of that period. The plan was to organise programs and teach skills to the members of the group with the help of volunteers.
To achieve that, I had to announce before that year’s convocation that I didn’t graduate, and that I was starting a group for spill over students. It was the hardest thing I had ever written, but I had to write it. People signed up to join The Resistance Group and we also got lots of volunteers willing to take us on different skills. But The Resistance Group didn’t succeed like I planned. Most times, it was the students not responding to the people who were supposed to take them. And some times, it was the volunteers who were too busy. I also think a reason was because we never got the chance to meet together physically till Covid-19 lockdown period, and then everything went downhill from there.
Even though the group didn’t succeed as I would have loved to, it is one of the most courageous thing I’ve done. And I’m happy that I was able to make impacts on some people that joined the group, and I’m extremely grateful for the friendships that I made from that group.
The group didn’t succeed like we planned but we will take E for our efforts and console ourselves with that.
500 Level Pro Max — 2019/2020/2021
This second 500 level, I had no outstanding course in my first semester at all — all 6 courses I had to do were second semester courses. But I had to register courses to fill in the first semester space. So I decided to borrow 2 courses from Islamic Studies Department, 1 course from Mathematics Department and 1 course from Computer Science Department — all 4 courses from 100 level.
At the beginning, no one really cared about the spill over students; it took them time from the department to work on our portal, and we had to pay late registration fees. We couldn’t complain though, because everyone was at the stage where the only fight we had left was not against the system, but for ourselves.
Being in school during that time was somehow tough, because even though I had announced to the world via my WhatsApp that I was staying back a year, I still had people asking me questions like what I was doing around, where I was serving, and making all those comments about graduation. I was however able to live through that period because I had accepted it. It wasn’t something to be happy about, but it wasn’t something anyone could use to make me feel bad; you know, when you accept your flaws and insecurities, no one is ever going to able to make you feel bad about them.
Having an extra-year is kind of normal, but not when you were president. People would either feel shocked or disappointed. Or if they respect you enough, their bias will make them blame the system and not you. It was the mixture of everything in my case.
I became the vice president of Tell! Community, Unilorin, and became the Deputy Team Lead, Fundraising and Sponsorship, TEDxUnilorin — both positions through appointments. I didn’t have so much to do like in the previous year, but I was still active as a debater, and I did other personal stuff.
Just after first semester exams, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced their strike, and also close to that period, schools were locked nationwide due to Covid-19.
It took about 10 months for academic activities to start at all, and 1 year for school to resume fully. That period was very tough. Tough because it basically added one extra year to the extra year I already had. Tough because the world was adjusting to a new normal due to Covid-19. Tough because I couldn’t do anything major — I was home, away from people, stuck, losing vibes, and tired.
But during that period, I published my second book — Of Feelings, Thoughts and Memories (a poetry collection). During that period, I applied and became a Campus Ambassador for Barter by Flutterwave. And more importantly, during that period, I had the opportunity to spend more time with myself, and I began to have more clarity on what I’d really love to do.
The 2nd and final semester came and it wasn’t easy because I was doing 6 courses after taking a 2-year break from the department/faculty; with 5 of the courses re-writes from 4/5 years ago. It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but I knew I had to give everything it took. It wasn’t easy like the previous years, but I got closer to students in those classes, humbled myself, studied, and did everything I had to.
The extra year was very challenging, but one major factor that helped me navigate that period well, was my family and friends.
My parents who didn’t make me feel like a burden even after spending that much time and resources in the university; they were very understanding and supportive, that I drew strength from them when I was tired, and they never stopped supporting me in any way.
My siblings who in their own ways, encouraged me and supported me; they never for once made me feel like a failure and they were so invested in my matter.
And my friends with whom our vibe was not lost; they related with me in ways that didn’t make me feel behind, and supported me in their own ways.
I knew I had to be strong and I tried my best to be, but if I hadn’t gotten the support I got from my family and friends, it would have been way more difficult than it was.
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Now, as I write this, every outstanding course has been cleared, every requirement has been fulfilled, and I’ve been confirmed to be a graduate of Chemical Engineering, which means I’ve overcome arguably the biggest obstacle I’ve come across in my life. Beyond the degree, the victory makes me feel that I will overcome any obstacle that comes my way in the future. And I hope that I do.
The hardship has gone, ease is here, and I’m grateful to God for seeing me through, Alhamdulillah.
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Here are some of the biggest lessons I learnt as an undergraduate:
1. Everyone is a victim in Nigerian institutions, but it’s not okay to be comfortable as one.
The system is not designed in anyone’s favour. It’s okay to be pissed at the system sometimes, but it’s your responsibility to try to survive the system. Even the ones that finish with a First Class are victims. One thing you owe yourself is not to focus on your victimhood, but on the opportunities that you can harness from your situation.
2. Growth, and success, are extremely personal
You just finished reading a very long piece of someone who spent an extra year to finish with a Second Class Honours (Lower Division). 2:2 might be very basic generally, but to me — due to (personal) circumstances — it’s a big deal, I’m not gonna lie.
Growth and success are personal. While it’s important to be the best version possible, it is also important to recognize that you are on a different journey from every other person.
3. Relationships are very important
It is very important to have good relationships with people. In bad times, that could help you, and it good times, that could plug you to great things. Many people don’t succeed by doing things alone, but by the input and impact of other people on them.
4. The best way to deal with issues is by accepting them
You do not get a solution if you do not acknowledge that there is a problem. You also do not get to move on if you don’t accept a situation how it is. Unpleasant things will happen to us, and it’s our responsibility to find our way through, but the only way we can do that is by accepting the situation as it is — before we can then begin to act right.
5. Problems no dey finish
When people think of problems, they think of unpleasant situations. Maybe they’re right, but the universe is designed in a way that problems will always exist. Luckily, problems do not mean no-progress. Even through your biggest issues and at your lowest, you can achieve a lot of great things.
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Having read this much about me, I know you might have some questions for me. Let me see if I can predict some of them.
Question 1: So, what’s next for you, KK Awesome?
Well, at this moment, I don’t exactly know but I’m grateful and happy that I’m done with this stage, because I can now move on. Right now, I work as the Communications Lead at a startup — employed by my good friend/ex-course mate who I met in school.
And with my skills and experience in Copywriting, Content Writing, Creation, and Development, Digital Marketing, Creative Writing, and Communications; I am open to opportunities across those fields (and beyond). This is real life, and I got to live it well.
PS: consider this as me shooting my shot. Help me, please. 😭😂🤲🏿
Question 2: Again, why did you write this, Koyum?
I think I have a better answer than I did at the beginning.
I think first of, I wrote this for me. Because I’ve always wanted to talk about this experience. Because I like to write. And because I told myself I would celebrate if I finished the degree — and this is my way of celebrating.
Then I wrote it for people who are going through a similar situation. I hope if they ever read, they’re able to draw the needed strength from this piece.
Then I wrote it for anyone who likes to read people’s experiences and stories. I hope this one was worth it.
And yes, I wrote it so that you could share after reading. You know, you could be the one who will share it to that person that would decide to give me a job, or give me a scholarship, or send me money because I wrote this piece. You could also be that person who will do any/all of the things I listed above.
Finally, I wrote it for you. If not for anything, for reading this till the end. Thank you!
Question 3: How can we contact you, Mr Afolabi?
You can reach me via email at koyumkoladeafolabi@gmail.com. You can also subscribe to my newsletter. If you like poetry, you can read beautiful poems by me on Instagram. You can also read my articles here. And if you use LinkedIn, let’s connect.
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This wasn’t easy to write, but the thought that there are people who would read, made me complete it. Again, thank you for reading.
And for reading, let me bless you with a picture of how I look, as the ones of me you’ve just seen are old.
I don’t want anything big in return, just share this piece now that you have finished reading. Thank you!
