University of Ibadan Best Graduating Engineering Student Shares How He Never Planned to Study Course
- The best graduating student of the Faculty of Technology, University of Ubadan, Hammed Abdullah, has opened up about his admission experience
- He recounted how he never planned to study electrical and electronics engineering, where he later graduated with 3.97/4.0 CGPA
- In this insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young man shared his admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals
Hammed Abdullah Ishola received nationwide appraisal when he emerged as the best engineering graduating student of UI for the 2025 set.
The intelligent young man graduated with a first-class in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and had a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.97/4.0.
Source: Twitter
Abdullah, who celebrated his achievement online, spoke to Legit.ng on how he emerged as the best graduating student amongst all engineering students in the 2024/2025 session.
UI engineering top graduate shares UTME experience
The 22-year-old electrical engineering scholar stated that he frist wrote the private West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2018.
The Osun indigene, who grew up in his community in Ede, opened up about how he finally got admission.
He said:
“My journey to university started a little earlier than most. I wrote WAEC GCE in 2018 while I was still in SS2, then wrote the main WAEC in 2019. Because of delays in getting my WAEC result, I processed my admission using my GCE results.
During his Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Abdullah scored 298.
“For JAMB, I sat for the exam in 2019 and scored 298. I also wrote Post-UTME that same year and scored 74/100 which was enough to secure my spot in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Ibadan.”
Abdullah speaks on studying electrical engineering
According to Abdullah, he never wanted to study electrical engineering, but chose it spontaneously during his UTME registration.
The scholar, who once represented Nigeria in Portugal, said:
“Truthfully, Electrical Engineering was never the plan. I had always wanted to study Chemical Engineering as I loved Chemistry all through secondary school. Then I represented Nigeria at the International Physics Olympiad in Lisbon in 2018, and people around me started pushing me toward Physics related fields.
“But the real turning point came on the day I went to register for JAMB. I was told the University of Ibadan does not offer Chemical Engineering. I simply told the person helping me to pick any engineering course, and he mentioned Electrical and Electronic Engineering. That was it.
“A spontaneous decision that turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. As for my parents, they were supportive. They trusted me and believed that wherever I put my energy, I would give it my best. That trust meant everything.”
On why he chose UI, the recently-inducted engineer said:
"I have always wanted to be in an environment that has some of the brightest minds in the country, and UI fit that perfectly. Though honestly, UI was not my initial intention either. I was influenced toward it, and the reputation of being the first and the best sealed it for me.
"As for whether it met my expectations, UI exceeded them in some ways and humbled me in others. The academic pressure was real, the strikes and delays tested our patience, but being surrounded by brilliant people and great lecturers was everything I hoped for and more."
Source: Twitter
UI engineering scholar shares study secrets
When asked about his study secrets, Abdullah said he never chased grades but was more keen on understanding.
Explaining his approach, he said:
:I think the biggest thing was my mindset. I never chased grades, I chased understanding. My approach was simple: understand every course deeply enough that I could walk into an exam hall and teach it to a one year old. If I could do that, I knew I was ready. I also taught others freely because I never saw academics as a competition.
"Teaching actually deepened my own understanding more than anything else. I used every resource available, textbooks, online materials, past questions, and people too. If someone understood something better than me, I went to them with no ego. Focus on the process and the results will take care of themselves."
On his future plans, Abdullah added:
"I am actively exploring opportunities in industry, and I also write Golang, so I will not be writing off any software engineering opportunities that come my way either. The goal is to keep growing professionally and contribute meaningfully wherever I find myself."
In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan.
LASU BGS shares admission experience
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos State University's (LASU) best graduating student opened up about her admission experience.
In an insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young lady shared her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals.
Source: Legit.ng
