25-year-old Abibat Owolabi has emerged as the overall best graduating Master’s Degree student at the University of Ibadan. She obtained the degree from the Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Abel Olayinka, announced this during the convocation ceremonies of the university that Miss Owolabi graduated with CGPA 7.0.
Mr. Olayinka said with Miss Abibat Owolabi making a perfect cumulative grade point of 7.0, she became the overall best among the graduating candidates of master’s degrees at this year’s convocation.
Miss Abibat Owolabi is the third of five children and the first to earn a Master’s Degree among her siblings. She lauded her parents for their support, saying without them, she could not have gone this far in life. She attributed her success to God.
Miss Owolabi said though life was tough because her background was humble, all along she put in her best in whatever she did. She said hard work and faith in God were the secrets behind her success in life.
In the words of Abibat Owolabi:
“Growing up was difficult considering my background. I am not from a rich home. My father and mother are traders. My father, Mr Aliu Adisa Owolabi, sells planks at Bodija Market and my mother, Mrs Kadijat Owolabi, sells food stuff too.
So, you can see that I am not from a rich background.
But I must tell you my parents really supported me. At a point when they were getting tired, and there was no money, my mentor, Professor Egunyomi Adeyemi, a retired professor, came in.
He took up paying my school fees and helping me in other ways. Alhamdulillah, here I am today, I give all praises to God.
As for my career, I want to be a researcher in my field. I prefer to be a researcher than to be a lecturer.
But that does not say that I cannot be a lecturer. The issue is that researching first and lecturing second.”
