Nigerian Woman Graduates with a First Class after Spending 16 Years in four Universities

Oluwamayowa Ojumah

The story of Oluwamayo Ojumah is making rounds today and it is definitely an inspiring story.

She was one of the high-flying graduating students in the last convocation of the University of Lagos. She graduated with a CGPA of 4.51 but that is not the only thing inspiring about her story. She is a married woman who has had many failed attempts at studying medicine that took her from Ogun state, to the UK, and then to Okada in Edo state, before finally graduating with a First class from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Lagos.

In an interview with Saturday Vanguard, she narrated how she got into OOU, immediately after her secondary school education to study Applied Zoology.

According to her, she was to be transferred to Medicine if she performed well; but she was not because she couldn’t grasp the scope of the course. She left in her 200 level to the UK to study medicine but could not continue due to the financial strain it would have on her parents. Then, she and her parents agreed that she should come back to Nigeria.

In 2009, she got into Igbinedion University to study medicine but failed to pass the MBBS exams after siting twice for it. She had the option of repeating the class or going abroad again to study medicine but everything was thwarted when her mother passed on in March 2011.

Determined and relentless, she did the foundation programme in the University of Lagos, after which she was admitted through Direct Entry to 200 Level to study Biochemistry.

Speaking on how she was able to come out with a first class, she said, “I didn’t just depend on class notes. I used YouTube… I can read from 8pm – 6am. My husband was also very supportive because I used to watch movies a lot but he ensured that I did not fail to read… He would wake me up at night… to read…. In fact, I prayed like I was not reading, and read like I was not praying.”

Her husband, Felix Ojumah, a Petroleum Engineer, added, “We are happy that people who feel that they can’t make it would find it encouraging…. There is need for people to utilize any opportunity at their disposal to actualize their goal.”

There’s really no stopping a determined mind.