Seven years after an unwanted pregnancy
forced her to drop out of the University of
Ilorin, Aishat Farooq emerges the best
graduating student of the Bells University of
Technology, Ota, Ogun State,
reportsTemitayo Famutimi
When Aishat Farooq gained admission into
the University of Ilorin at 15, to study
Zoology, little did she know that she was not
going to be an alumnus of the institution.
That was in 2003.
Despite the fact that she was a high flyer in
her first two years in UNILORIN, the now 25-
year-old indigene of Ilorin West-Local
Government Area of Kwara State got
distracted along the line. She played the
campus love game and got a shocking
result: she got pregnant.
It was in 2006 and in her third year. She
was pregnant for a fellow student whom
she had been dating. She was disappointed
in herself and thought the whole world was
crashing on her. Yet, she vowed not to
terminate the pregnancy.
Although she wanted to continue her
studies in the university, she became
disillusioned and dropped out at 18. She
sought consolation in trading.
But her father, Mr. Shehu Farooq, who
believed that his daughter’s academic
prowess should not be wasted, was
determined to get her back on the academic
track.
Today, Aishat has a different story to tell. On
Saturday, she stood tall among her peers at
the 5th convocation ceremony of Bells
University, Ota, Ogun State, where she
emerged the overall best graduating student
with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of
4.93.
“The rebel in me won,” she declared while
giving the valedictory address on behalf of
the 208 graduating students of the
university.
“I hope my story will inspire at least one
person to change his or her circumstance. I
was pregnant at 18 and by 19 I was already
a mother. I had disappointed my father who
believed so much in me. He had such big
dreams for me and feared the dreams
would become unfulfilled,” she added.

Breaking the news of the pregnancy to her
father, who was at the time based in the
northern part of the country, was not easy.
Aishat’s mother, Fatima, who stayed in
Lagos with the family, did not break the
“sad news” to the man until the lady was
almost due. The mum feared her husband
would be too angry.
Fatima narrated to our correspondent,
“Looking back, we knew her to be very
brilliant. But all of a sudden she got
pregnant. Though her father and I were
always discussing on the telephone, I hid it
from him. Whenever he said he would be
coming to Lagos to visit us, I would quickly
chip it in that I would like to be the one to
visit. So, I ensured I was the one always
visiting him.
“That was how I managed the situation
until the pregnancy was eight months. But
even when we broke the news to him, he
felt really bad. Although there was nothing
he could do, he couldn’t go out for three
days.”
Aishat studied Business Administration with
specialisation in Human Resources
Management, and received the Vice-
Chancellor’s Prize for the Overall Best
Graduating Student with a cash reward of
N50,000 and a plaque. She also won the
College of Management Sciences Prize and
Department of Business Administration Prize
for the Best Graduating Student.
Speaking with our correspondent after she
received the awards, Aishat, whose face
beamed with smiles, expressed gratitude to
her dad for not losing hope in her during
her trying time.
She noted that the popularly-held notion
that the child that goes astray belongs to the
mother, while the good ones belong to the
father, was not applicable in her situation as
her father did not give up on her.
Asked why her dad had so much hoped in
her, she stated that her history of academic
excellence from childhood right to the
university was a major driving force.
Aishat, who attended Nazareth Nursery and
Primary School, Lagos; Penny International
College, Lagos and Model Secondary School,
Maitama, Abuja, said she bagged several
academic awards while growing up and
noted that she secured admission to
UNILORIN the same year she completed her
secondary education.

She noted, “I did exceptionally well and
bagged awards in the schools I attended. I
had the overall best result at the Senior
Secondary School Certificate level at Model
Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja. In fact in
UNILORIN, I was on the first class grade in
my first year but in 200 Level, I dropped to
second class upper division because I had
already started getting distracted by the
boys.
“It just happened that things turned out the
way it did. But here I am, a product of God’s
unending mercies, unconditional love and
grace – all coupled with the faith my dad
had in me and my fierce determination.
“I’m a goal getter. I push myself hard. Even
here (BELLSTECH) in spite of being a mother,
I was pushing for the best despite the
challenges. I wanted to make my dad proud
again. Once you are determined, nothing is
impossible. Nothing can stop you.”
She said her decision to study Business
Administration as against the sciences,
which she was studying in UNILORIN, was
informed by her two-year experience in the
world of business after she dropped out of
university.
She explained that incessant strikes by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities,
however, informed her decision to attend a
private university. “Age was no longer on
my side and I wanted to do it fast. And my
dad could afford it because he was a
businessman,” she added.
Asked if she was involved in any relationship
at the Bells, she explained that she was a
popular “snob” on campus because the
majority of male students were younger
than her. Besides, she did not want to get
distracted or disappoint her parents and
herself again.
Aishat, who has been posted to Lagos State
to observe the mandatory National Youth
Service Corps scheme, said, “If you ask
around you will be told that I was a snob. My
favourite spot was my room. I rarely went
out of the room for social events. I went to
mosque. However, when I contested for the
president of my departmental association,
Business Administration Students
Association, the Nigerian system worked
against me.
“I lost to my male opponent. Although I had
plans to take some giant strides if I won,
especially in the academic aspect for my
fellow students, the fact that I was not the
type of person who hangs out worked
against me. I didn’t have a social life.”
She said she has no plans for marriage for
now. She wants to pursue a master’s degree
programme in Human Resources in the
University of Aberdeen, Scotland. She added
that she also plans to work in a corporate
environment to garner experience and
afterwards go back to the university to
teach “as a way of giving back.”
The second child in a family of eight
children, Aishat brought her six-year-old
son, Damilola, to the convocation. It was,
however, learnt that the Edo State-born
father of the boy has since got married to
another woman.

She noted that her major challenge on
campus was the randomness of classes
which denied her the opportunity of
spending quality time with her son while
her stay in the university lasted.
“We had visiting professors who came into
the campus at anytime. Although we had
schedules, many of them had a bit of flexible
time. Sometimes on Sunday when I took
permission to visit my child in Lagos, my
classmates would call me up on the phone
that there was going to be a class. Because
attendance is very important, I had to rush
down. This affected me a little,” she added.
Aishat’s father advised parents to give their
children and wards the best of tutelage and
close monitoring. He noted that he least
expected the feat achieved by his daughter
as he was at a time disturbed that “she
could no longer make it.”
Asked if it was lack of adequate monitoring
that made Aishat go astray at UNILORIN, he
said, “Let’s just say that is how God wants
it. You see, 70 per cent of the fault is on us
the parents. Parents should give their
children good supervision and tutelage.
With this, they cannot derail. I thank God for
her because it’s is not easy to have raised
her from grass to grace.
“I screamed on the phone the day I learnt
she was pregnant. I started asking
questions: When, where and how. I burst
into tears. But today, she is a new being.
And I know the mistake will not repeat itself.
My expectations for her are that she should
fly higher and higher.”
Some other graduands who distinguished
themselves were also recognised at the
convocation ceremony.
Kolawole Lawal, who finished from the
Department of Economics with a CGPA of
4.73, received the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Prize
for being the best graduating student with
outstanding academic performance and
leadership qualities. Former President
Obasanjo who is the Chief Promoter of the
university, also attended the event.
Francis Sogunle, from the Department of
Computer Science, who had a CGPA of 4.74,
received the Chancellor’s Prize for excelling
in external competitions of academic nature.
At the ceremony, 208 students were
awarded first degrees with Aishat and 13
others being conferred with first class
degrees, while 64 of them got second class
upper degrees; 83 bagged second class
lower; just as 43 were awarded third class
degrees. Meanwhile four of the graduands
finished with pass degrees.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof
Isaac Adeyemi, charged the graduates to be
patriotic and dedicated to nation building.
“Our beloved country is currently going
through a rather stressful period. All hands
must be on deck to seek lasting solutions to
militancy and insurgencies and disregard
for the rule of law. This is the time to prove
your worth as you can’t afford to fold your
arms or sit on the fence,” he observed

Wow..this is exceptional...a challenge to the rest of us!...if a nursing mother could do this....we should be able to do better!...thumbs up to her

mmmm....