Meet Unilag first class graduate who spent 12 years at home before admission

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Negedu Sunday is a first class graduate of Biochemistry from University of Lagos - After spending 12 years at home after secondary school, Negedu graduated with 4.70 CGPA - Negedu who initially wanted to study medicine said he is now contented with Biochemistry Against all odds, Negedu Sunday, son of a beans cake seller and tailor, scaled through all hurdles to graduate with a first class in Biochemistry from University of Lagos.

We learnt that Negedu, who spent 12 years at home after completing his secondary school education could not further despite getting admission into university six times due to lack of money. In an interview with Punch newspaper, Negedu, who graduated with 4.70 CGPA, talked about his struggle and how he made a vow to graduate with a first class.

He said: "As a child, life was tough. I grew up in Olodi-Apapa/Ajegunle area of Lagos. I’m the second out of seven children and my parents had deep love for education, even though they didn’t have much of it. "My mum used to sell bean cake (akara) while my dad was a tailor. He had to take up another job as a housekeeper/store-keeper in a hotel. They worked so hard to care for us.

"Even though there were vices in the neighbourhood, my parents were disciplinarians and they made sure we found reading attractive. And of course I won’t forget the deep financial hardship we went through; days I went to school bare-footed." On why he choose to study Biochemistry instead of Medicine that he had always profess love for, Negedu said spending twelve years at home changed his mind. He said: "Growing up, I had this dream to be a medical doctor and later to become a neurosurgeon. But 12 years after graduating from secondary school and after my sixth Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, choosing Biochemistry was the logical thing to do. "It wasn’t that I didn’t pass the UTMEs, I did, but my admission suffered huge setbacks owing to lack of fund.

"At a point, I was somewhat persuaded that I needed to do a four-year course in order to graduate early (compared to the six years for medicine) so I could support my parents, siblings and others in need."

Negedu also spoke about how hard it was to maintain his first class throughout university. He said: "I had a study plan, I prioritised my courses and studied very well. Beyond these, I prayed about everything, took responsibility for myself and actions, studied hard, remained focused and I learnt from others. "I won a number of awards in school, including the HOD of Science Prize and the prestigious Professor Akinrimisi Prize of Excellence in Biochemistry. I believe some students fail due to lack of commitment, indiscipline, not identifying what works for them, seeking help late or not seeking help at all and lack of confidence. These issues can be tackled by any willing mind." Negodu just completed his M.Sc in Biochemistry and his making effort toward a Ph.D scholarship position while he continued his job as a graduate assistant in UNILAG. On his dream for the future, Negedu said: "My passion is to be a molecular/biomedical researcher. I want to do more than just teach. My other interests are in volunteering and writing."