After
waiting for five years to secure varsity admission, Dotun Oladipo
emerges the best graduating student at the second convocation of the
University of Osun, Osogbo, SEGUN OLUGBILE reports
For the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, University of Osun, Osogbo, Osun
State, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, last Friday was the end of an era. He
moderated the second convocation of the institution, his last as the VC.
The pioneer VC was deservedly celebrated not just by the institution
but by the Visitor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who described his
performance as excellent and his tenure as clean, open, transparent and
committed to the laying down of an enviable foundation for the
advancement of a peaceful and academically robust university.
But while the VC was enjoying the accolades, 26-year-old Dotun
Oladipo was also receiving the best applause of the day. He emerged the
best graduating student after obtaining a Cumulative Grade Point Average
of 4.90 out of a possible 5.0 to bag a first class degree in Economics.
He also won the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for the Most Outstanding
Student of the Year, the Chancellor’s Award, the Best Graduating Student
in the College of Management and Social Sciences and the Most
Outstanding Student in the Department of Economics.
For his efforts, he was offered automatic employment at the
institution. Also, the remaining 18 graduating students who also bagged
first class degrees were awarded scholarships for their postgraduate
studies in universities of their choices provided they desire to pick up
careers in academics.
This is in line with Oladipo’s ambition. He desires to become a
professor of economics in the nearest future. Each time he was called to
the podium to receive his prizes, the audience made up of
vice-chancellors of other universities, the Deputy Governor of Osun
State, Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, principal officers of UNIOSUN,
parents and students went wild in jubilation. Aregbesola and Akinrinade
who were saddled with the responsibility of the presentation of the
prizes to Oladipo also joined the jubilant crowd. They clapped, hugged
and applauded him.
But his path to academic success was not without challenges. Though
he completed his secondary school in 2003 and obtained seven
distinctions and one credit pass, he could not secure admission to
university until 2008. Frustrated by this, Oladipo went to a seminary in
Ilesa after he convinced himself that he was probably not cut out for a
career in academics. But luck smiled on him in 2008 when he was offered
admission to UNIOSUN for a degree programme in Economics.
Oladipo in an interview with journalists after he received his awards
from Aregbesola said he was happy to emerge the best graduating student
in spite of the difficulties he faced as an undergraduate.
Asked how he felt beating 656 others, Oladipo who completed his
secondary school education at Sacred Heart Emmanuel Secondary School,
Akure, Ondo State in 2003, said he was happy. The Ilesa, Osun State born
graduate, was however, humble in victory. “Let’s just give glory to
God, who helped to make it happen,” he said. He, however, admitted that
he faced a lot of challenges after he got admission to UNIOSUN in 2008.
“My experience before I was admitted here was not rosy because I had
finished secondary school since 2003. I wrote the West African Senior
Secondary School Certificate Examination, I had seven distinctions and
only one credit in Yoruba at Sacred Heart Emmanuel Secondary School,
Akure, Ondo State. I tried to gain admission to the university but my
efforts did not pay off. Convinced that God probably did not want me to
go to the university; I enrolled at a seminary in Ilesa. But in 2008, I
was admitted here and I just found myself in another world entirely. Now
my plan is to go into academics and even become a professor in
Economics,” he said.
Speaking about the challenges he faced as an undergraduate, Oladipo
said, “Right from year 2008, it has been challenges upon challenges but I
thank God and I’m happy that we are graduating today. It’s not been
easy. We have to meet up with challenges of lectures, tests,
examinations and extra curricula activities and making sure that we
adhere strictly to moral virtues imparted into us by my parents.”
Though he said God was responsible for his success, Oladipo added
that determination, hard work and ability to set achievable goals
contributed to his success. “My success is achieved by knowing what I’m
here for; whenever you enter a school, set targets for yourself and tell
yourself that you want to be the best among all and as long as you are
working and praying towards it, it would be possible,” he said.
On an unforgettable experience he had while on campus, he said, “One
thing I can’t forget was when I was in 100 Level and I obtained credit
in a course I felt I should have made a distinction. I was not really
happy with my score and I went to meet the lecturer. Though the lecturer
listened to me, I was surprised that my course mates were not happy
about my effrontery to challenge a lecturer. Some of them felt I was
proud. I was disturbed thinking that as an undergraduate, we should be
free to ask questions.”
He, however, advised undergraduates against imposing unnecessary boundary on them, adding that they should not entertain fear.
“There is nothing in life that is so difficult; all it takes is hard
work and labour. They must face challenges in school and make sure they
attend lectures regularly, respect their lecturers and take what they
are doing very seriously. During my stay in school, it was not reading
all the time. In this life, there is always time for everything; you
must allocate and use your time judiciously, the time to play, the time
to go to party, to go for lectures and the time to be in the library, we
must make sure that we allocate our time and use it judiciously because
time waits for no one,” he said.
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