15 Years After Secondary School, Man Returns to Classroom, Graduates With First Class in Law
- A Nigerian man returned to university 15 years after leaving secondary school and graduated with First Class Honours from Al-Hikmah University
- After spending seven years in Arabic school and rewriting WASSCE in 2021 to qualify for Law, he pursued a new dream that saw him record a perfect CGPA
- He emerged as the best male graduating student in his department and became the first Faculty of Law president to graduate with First Class Honours
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Ajala Abdulbasit Olanrewaju has graduated with First Class Honours in Common and Islamic Law from Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, 15 years after leaving secondary school.
For him, graduating from university is more than the completion of an academic journey; it is the culmination of a dream that survived years of delays, disappointments and uncertainty.
Source: UGC
Olanrewaju, who left secondary school in 2011 as a commercial student, had initially planned to study Accounting at university.
However, circumstances kept the dream out of reach for several years, forcing him to navigate a lengthy period away from formal university education.
Speaking with LEGIT.ng, Olanrewaju said he never allowed the prolonged wait to convince him that his university ambition was impossible.
“There were many moments when I wondered whether the university dream would ever become a reality. But I remained unperturbed. I stuck to my guns and refused to allow the dream to die,” he said.
Seven years in Arabic school
During his years away from university, Olanrewaju enrolled at Darul-Ulum, Isalekoto, Ilorin, where he spent seven years studying Arabic and eventually graduated among the top 10 students in his class.
Source: UGC
Although the achievement gave him satisfaction, he said it did not replace his desire to obtain a university degree.
His turning point came in 2021, a decade after he had left secondary school, when he sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) again.
This time, however, he registered for Arts subjects that would make him eligible to pursue Law.
That decision marked the beginning of a new ambition.
“Somewhere between that decision and the admission that followed, a new dream was born. I wanted to become a lawyer, and not just a lawyer. I wanted to graduate with First Class,” Olanrewaju told LEGIT.ng.
From 4.59 GPA to perfect 5.0
After gaining admission to the Faculty of Law at Al-Hikmah University, Olanrewaju said he quickly realised that achieving First Class would require sustained discipline.
He recorded a 4.59 GPA in his first semester, a result he described as encouraging but insufficient for the target he had set for himself.
Rather than becoming complacent, he intensified his academic efforts.
According to him, his determination eventually paid off, with some semesters producing a perfect 5.0 GPA.
“The 4.59 GPA was gratifying, but I knew I had to do more. I levelled up my grind, and the results spurred me to work even harder. Eventually, there were semesters when I made a perfect 5.0 GPA, and that became my benchmark,” he said.
First male First Class graduate of Law faculty
Olanrewaju's graduation has also, according to him, earned him several distinctions within the university's Faculty of Law.
He graduated with First Class Honours in Common and Islamic Law and was recognised as the best male graduating student in the Common and Islamic Law Department.
He also said he became one of the two male First Class graduates produced by Al-Hikmah University's Faculty of Law.
In addition, Olanrewaju, who previously served as President of the Faculty of Law, said he became the first president of the faculty to graduate with First Class Honours.
Reflecting on the significance of the achievements, he described the journey as one shaped by discipline, sacrifice, perseverance and faith.
“This is not merely a graduation for me. It is a moment I will always cherish because I returned to pursue a dream 15 years after leaving secondary school, and today I am leaving with not just a law degree, but a place in the history of the institution I served,” he said.
EKSU BGS gets scholarship abroad
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that an EKSU graduate, Oyelakin Olumide Oluwapelumi, emerged as the university’s Overall Best Graduating Student with a 4.89 GPA in Statistics. He has now secured a Mastercard Foundation scholarship to study Biostatistics at McGill University in Canada.
His journey from finishing at the top of his class to gaining admission to one of Canada’s leading universities is a remarkable one. The fully funded opportunity offers a powerful reminder of how academic excellence can open doors far beyond Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
