I Lost my First Admission due to Poverty: Nigerian First-Class Graduate reveals

One of the freshest graduates of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Lateef Adeleke, has disclosed that he lost his first admission due to a lack of funds.

Lateef, who graduated with first-class honors from the Department of Linguistics, revealed that he lost his admission because his father could not afford his school fees, and had to wait another year before resuming school.

Narrating the bitter experience, the First class-graduate said: “I got my first university admission in 2014 but got declined because my father insisted that it wasn’t yet time. He refused to tell me why the time wasn’t right but I didn’t allow that challenge to weigh me down.”

When Legit.ng asked how he felt about staying at home while his mates went to school, he said it was a very bitter pill but he swallowed it with grace. He used the one year to acquire tailoring skills.

He explained his pain back in 2014: “I felt extremely bad owing to the fact that other friends of mine who went through the admission process with me left me at home while they departed to school. It wasn’t easy, but then I had to summon my courage and demonstrate the potential in me to convince my parent that I truly deserved to be sponsored by all means.”

But why would a father deny his son an admission that was already a done deal? It was later when the second admission came that his father opened up to him.

He continued his touching narration: “He eventually revealed why he hid the fact when I got my second admission. In his words ‘I couldn’t explain this to you because you are too young to have experience of how evil people could be. He actually stood as a guarantor for a friend who convince him that he needed money for business. The bank was deducting the money from his salary account.”

Graciously, his father’s economic condition had improved when the second admission letter arrived. His father had no issues approving it.

He explained: “I presented the admission letter to him anyway but with a frowned face because I have summed up my mind that his response this time around would reveal the true identity of our relationship.

He read the admission letter, read my facial gesture and followed it with a smile. He then jovially said “Tunji, I know you are already thinking I shouldn’t turn you down this time around. Be calm, I wouldn’t.”

Lateef told this publication that getting a first-class was never an easy affair, and his hard work saw him through the tough days. He made a CGPA of 4.77 on 5.0 scale. He said making a first class was a deliberate decision so he had to work for it.

“It wasn’t easy but I was deliberate about it. To understand how serious I took it, I would like to tell you that I was in the library on my matriculation day. I left home by 7 am waited outside for the library staff to resume by 8:30 am. I left the library when other students were leaving the matriculation ground and we all met at the gate. My friends call me 10- to-10 just because I did read from 10am to 10pm during exam periods.”