ACW-UA PRESS RELEASE

UniAbuja Graduating Students Share Experiences on Campus Life, Advise Student

Yahya Quadri Reports

ACW-UA Press Respondents

Amra Onize Salihu

Abah Goodness Ojonoma

Obagbemi Faithful

During the 27th convocation ceremony of the University of Abuja for the award of bachelor's degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, Master's, Doctorate, and Honourary degrees, ACW-UA Press spoke with some students who shared their experiences on campus life.

Speaking with our correspondent at the venue on Saturday, a graduating PhD student, Dr Onah Benedict expressed that attaining the educational feat has been demanding.

Dr Benedict said he has had to divide his time between his family, business, and study, adding that his passion for business administration pushed him through the tough phase.

He said, "First of all, it is a dream; something I like and have a passion for. The drive was the passion for the course. I am an entrepreneur, and I studied business administration as my first degree. The drive is to know most of my studies so that you can contribute to society in the best possible way."

According to him, financial challenges and time constraints are the major challenges he contended with during his academic journey.

"As a family man, you have the home and your career. I am a businessman, and I have to divide my time between family, business, and studies."

Also, a graduating student from the Faculty of Law, Abundance, described his time on campus as "fun, toxic, and stressful", adding that "I must say I have a good time."

He noted that adjusting to the school environment and juggling academic activities were challenging.

"The environment is different from where I came from, and the lecturers were not so nice when it came to marking. There is that part of it: sometimes you are expecting an A, and you see something else," Abundance added.

However, the law graduate and content creator decried that the management does not encourage the best-graduating students, while also noting that noting that social life has diminished over time on campus.

"UniAbuja does not encourage students academically. For example, if you are finishing with a first class, there are some appreciations you are supposed to get, but the school is not doing well in that regard.

"The social activities are very, very poor. Our VC is not social, and it is affecting students. You know when there are a lot of social activities, you know it stirs up the whole school and makes it more fun, instead of just making it boring. This is Abuja, for goodness sake! It should be better than this."

Meanwhile, for Fortune Munachisom, (a former member of the ACW-UA Executive Council and currently serving as a member of the ACW-UA Review Committee) finding his foot on campus at a very young age proved difficult at first, but meeting people has helped him.

"Starting was kind of difficult because I entered school at a very young age; 16 years old", the English graduate said, adding that "I met people, became the class representative, and it helped me to build my character and leadership abilities.

"While I am graduating, I have gained a lot of experience, met a lot of people, and learned new things."

Ugbala Josephine, a graduate of English and literary studies expressed that, while her stay in the university was fun, "the difficult part is that the lecture and how lecturers sometimes cancel class."

She recalled some occasions lecturer cancelled class. "I stay off-campus, and it was not easy to spend transport in vain."

Josephine said her passion is to be an educationist to keep up her late mom's profession.

"My mum was an educationist, and I wanted to continue from where she stopped", she said, smiling.

Counting the years before and looking ahead

Victor Hussein graduating from the Faculty of Education reminisced on the years spent in school — of strike and the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Five years is not easy, but I thank God", he said.

He said struggling for transportation, and increment in fare, coupled with exorbitant fees final year students are mandated to pay posed as block, but he overcame them.

"Also, the extortion; they extorted us in this final year", he stressed.

He added: "As a student of UniAbuja, you have to find a way to survive. As they say, follow who knows road."

Huseined planned to "further my education and master's masters and PhD."

For Itodo Caleb, his moments at the University are mixed feelings of positivity and otherwise.

"UniAbuja was great; let me be positive first."

"I must say that there were a lot of challenges when it came to timing. We were under duress to finish quickly, so the approach of the exam and others brought a lot of unpreparedness and the like. The timing was too short for us."

Students advised on how to succeed in academics

Furthermore, the PhD holder advised students to be steadfast and focused.

In his words: "The advice I will give to students is that they should remain steadfast. If you have the dream to become a doctor or a degree holder, I'll say you should remain steadfast and focused; and set goals for yourself.

"For example, I tell my students that, at the beginning of the semester, it is important that you set the mark that you want to reach. If you do that, it will be difficult for you to miss that mark."

Abundance, the law graduate, urged fellow graduates "to keep up the good work. Do what they are good at keep doing it and aim for the best.

"And for those that are just coming, they should do their best. That first class is very possible. They can get it."

On the other hand, Fortune said combining extracurricular activities and studies can be balanced through proper planning.

"It is a case of proper planning", he stated, "I just have to find a way to balance academics and extracurricular activities. There is time for both, and I am grateful I did because I learned from both sides."

He also stressed the importance of education.

His words: "If you have an opportunity to acquire a formal education, do not joke with it. But if you don't, whatever form of education you can acquire, acquire it because it is very necessary in life."

Itodo urged students to prepare ahead of time because the university is a place where there is no time for nonsense, laxity, and any kind of lackadaisical.

"What makes you a graduate is your ability to read ahead and research even better than your teacher."

Adah Perpetual, Law (Islamic law) lent her voice to advise students.

She advised them to "go through your books after class, and you should not be afraid to ask questions; it might come out in exams and be around people that read and also trust in God."

Also, Osifo Faith, a Public Administration graduate urged graduates to never stop pushing.

"For graduates, they should keep pushing. We are all going into real life now."

Solomon Wisdom, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, reflected on his university journey, acknowledging the formidable challenges inherent in pursuing such a demanding degree. "It was not a smooth ride; pursuing mechanical engineering was tough, and I attribute my success to divine grace."

He shared a pivotal moment when he transitioned from BSc Physics to mechanical engineering after his first year. Despite facing resistance due to his high GPA, Solomon persevered and eventually made the switch. However, the shift took a toll on his academic performance, resulting in a significant drop in his GPA. Despite the hardships, he successfully graduated with a 2.1.

Looking ahead, Solomon expressed his aspirations for further studies, emphasizing a desire to pursue advanced education abroad, particularly in Germany. His passion for automobiles fuels this ambition, and he envisions establishing his career in that domain. Currently, his immediate plans include completing youth service and securing employment before contemplating a move out of the country.