Dahiru Umar, Graduate who broke First Class Record in His Department Shares His Secrets

Dahiru Umar, A Nigerian Graduate who became the first graduate to graduate with a first-class honors in his department has shared the things he believes students can do to achieve a similar feat.

In a chat with Allschool, Dahiru while expressing his happiness said, “I am as chuffed as a chubby chaff in a chocolate store to make history in Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria to break the record of becoming the first to graduate with first Class Honours in Education in English.”

Appreciating those who helped him in one way or the other, he said: I attribute all that to the efforts made by my Parents for providing me with necessary orientation from home. All that wouldn’t have been possible without their ceaseless financial supports and supplications. They’re the saviours, the saviours indeed. Now and always they’re the greatest actors in my film.

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Sharing his secrets he wrote:

Since the day before yesterday when I collected the notification of result from the University, after some of my Friends posted it on social media ( Facebook, watsapp, Twitter) I have been receiving phone calls, messeges and friend requests from educational scholars both home and abroad offering their felicitations with keen interests of my exquisite performance asking me the underscored questions:

How did you manage to make it?

How could you have graduated with such a class of degree in those fields?

What’s the secret?

Such questions sent a shiver of meekness down my spine because I believe that the keen questioners applaud my performance and are agog to know the secrets. Well, concerning question the first, I always say one thing: ” Excellence usually comes from two basic things_Sincere effort and favour from God”.

The former derived from the Arab popular sayings: ‘ومن جد وجد’ يغوص في البحر من طلب للا،ومن رام العلي صخر الليا لي.( he/she who needs a Giant oarfish should sink in to a river; he/she who aspires to be infamous should absist from sleeping.

Hardwork betrays none; If you can’t excel with talent, triumph with effort.” The latter corroborates the Hadith 19: Be mindful of Allah and he will protect you احفظ الله يحفظك

Ibn Abbas reported: I was riding with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said:
يَا غُلَامُ إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلْ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ لَوْ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَكَ وَلَوْ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ رُفِعَتْ الْأَقْلَامُ وَجَفَّتْ الصُّحُفُ
“Young man, I will teach you some words.Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you.Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. If you ask, ask from Allah. If you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the nations gathered together to benefit you, they could not benefit you unless Allah has decreed it for you. And if the nations gathered together to harm you, they could not harm you unless Allah has decreed it for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”.

I believe the above treatise has answered the first and the second question, as for the third, below are the secrets tips for my success.

Page Contents

Secrets of graduating with first Class Honour.
Have optimistic mentality
Attending lectures regularly
Plan your study time
Ask questions before the next class/lecture
Be a tutor to the clique you belong
Try to figure out the demand of a question and the lecturer as well.
Don’t rush to take up leadership positions or be too involved in religious activities.
Select your friends wisely
Respect your tutors
(10) Never underrate the power of prayer

Secrets of graduating with first Class Honour.

Have optimistic mentality

The first and foremost step to achieve everything in life is to be optimistic rather than being pessimist. “Believe that you can and no body can put a spoke at your wheels”.

There are bunches of people in the University who have the habit of discouraging desirous students, especially fresh students, those students are found in every University in Nigeria, I don’t know of overseas, their assertions usually goes thus, “You can’t score an “A” grade in that course, whatever you do they will not give you, You can’t graduate with first class honours in so, so University”.

Such assertions are mostly rumours from keen rumour mongers. I was tortured by such type of students but I never allowed such claims to have a space in my mind. This is because I believe in the ultimate triumph of God.

There’s no way, you can go to a battle with a defeatist mentality and expect to win. Never lose hope in life!

Attending lectures regularly

Attending lectures is very essential if you want to succeed in your academic pursuit. This is because many of the unsaid in course materials are said during lectures and lecturers often set questions based on what they teach during classroom instruction.

Plan your study time

This is very important aspect that students often forget. Whoever fails to plan ,fails to win. Read smartly not hardly.

Some students have the habit of reading throughout the hour’s of the day thinking that it’s the best way to do away with load of works. No! Actually, I was like them when I was in year one.

This is because I didn’t have people who would advise me on how to go about it, I was a greenhorn then, so, I was learning to hold my rope then.

When I reached UG 2, God opened everything for me, I can remember that I used to read one to two hours a day. That was when I excelled and got parallel A’s.

Ask questions before the next class/lecture

Try to figure out areas where you have difficulties, jot them in your note book and ask the course lecturer or one of your coursemates whom you think have understood that concept clearly. It’s human if you don’t understand everything, so asking your coursemates will never decrease you but increases you. Don’t be arrogant! You’re not omniscient.

Be a tutor to the clique you belong

Teaching others will unquestionably help you to not only practice what you learned but also makes permanent. Whatever you teach you hardly forget it. Never hesitate to teach others. Until you realise that other people’s light can’t stop your’s, you can never get it right. We are collaborators not competitors”.( Dr Gab)

Try to figure out the demand of a question and the lecturer as well.

Knowing what the lecturer needs will help you present the answers effectively. Most students fail to comprehend this. Failure to meet the demand of a question leads to low grades.

The demands of the lecturer is as important as the former, this is evident in the sense that some lecturers need bulky notes, some need an introduction, a body and a conclusion for every topic while some, need direct/straight forward answers. The latter is more palpable to professors and the former to junior lecturers.

I advice students to first study the course lecturer and determine his/her needs. “When you’re in a PhD programme, your first research topic is your supervisor. Study that human being well”. (Dr Gab)

Don’t rush to take up leadership positions or be too involved in religious activities.

You’ll have at least 3–4 years for that after your first year. Hundred Level is your period for keen observations and wise decision making, so brace yourself and don’t loose sight that you are therere to learn first.

Select your friends wisely

Careful selection of friends is important. Most likely, your first group of friends would turn out to be the friends you would stick in the long run. So choose your friends wisely. Your friends should be those who you have accessed, and their lifestyle is in consonance with your goals and what you seek to achieve in the University.

Be friendly and nice person but very choosy.

Respect your tutors

Respect for elders will not only help you to realizing your dream but also stir the knowledge learned. Allah will bless the knowledge only when you have respect for elders.