February 17, 2025

Unilagsun

Serving the university community

Redefining Possible: Samuel’s Rise to Overall BGS

By Ogbedebor Arthur, Ntiaju Chiedozie, Gabriel Emmanuel, Daniel Maryjane, and Azeezat Olatunde.

René Descartes once said, “I think, therefore I am”. Hence, the only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it’s possible. This resonated with Samuel Badekale’s academic journey. Growing up in Mushin, one of Lagos’ bustling areas known for its energetic streets, Badekale achieved the seemingly impossible by graduating as the best graduating student at the University of Lagos with a flawless CGPA of 5.0 in Cell Biology and Genetics. 

He explained that he was deeply motivated by one of UNILAG’s best-graduating students, who grew up in Mushin years ago.

“If someone from an environment like mine could achieve this, I definitely could,” he said with conviction.

He had always wanted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Ibadan. Unfortunately, he wasn’t accepted into the institution. After re-evaluating his options, he picked Cell Biology and Genetics on his third JAMB attempt and finally gained admission at UNILAG to study it.

Finishing with a perfect CGPA wasn’t easy for Badekale, and numerous challenges were involved. 

“As easy as it looks, having to come up every semester to do the same thing repeatedly can be mentally challenging. There are times you don’t feel up to the task,” he recalled.

He also stressed the importance of discipline and taking breaks to avoid academic burnout.

“I take breaks from reading to get myself back to a normal level to perform as I am meant to. It is important to prioritise yourself and your mental well-being,” he emphasised.

Badekale’s love for mental well-being led him to establish the Students Mental Health Advocates (SMHA) initiative.

“At the end of my first year, I had this feeling of imposter syndrome. That’s when I started this initiative. It is an avenue to help students with mental health challenges, just like the one I faced, ensuring they get proper help,” he shared.

He further explained that his initiative partnered with the UNILAG Counselling unit to organise outreaches and campus campaigns to ensure students prioritise their mental health. 

Aside from being a mental health advocate, he actively participated in his department football team and was the coach who drove the team to win the HOD games. He was also the editor-in-chief for Bioscope, an annual publication for his department. In addition, he has won numerous awards and grants, including the Prof. Babajide Alo Organic Competition, where he came first in his second year and won the Encourage Science Research Grant in his final year. 

Badekale highlighted his commitment to excellence and impact through the numerous activities he engaged in to give back to his community. 

“I want to show that it’s possible to achieve things if your mindsets or dreams are limitless. Growing up in Mushin brings questions like, what can I become? Or can I achieve unimaginable things?” he explained.

“I founded the Scale-Up Initiative, where we teach the kids in Mushin basic digital skills, such as operating a computer system, Microsoft Word, CorelDRAW, and their importance in the global world. We’ve also been able to donate textbooks to about 82 students,” he revealed. 

Furthermore, he noted that prayers, his parents, mentors, particularly his course advisor, Dr Onyekachi Iwuraya, and coursemates played a significant role in his academic success. He expressed profound gratitude to God and them.

When asked about his next plans, he disclosed that he intends to pursue postgraduate studies in molecular biology with his degree to provide therapeutic and innovative solutions to sickle cell disease (SCD). He hopes to create research centres dedicated to curing genetic diseases. 

“I’ve realised that for a country in which sickle cell is one of the most prevalent health conditions, there are very few research centres focused on SCD,” he pointed out.

He also plans to host a TEDx in his community, the TEDx Idi-Araba, scheduled for 2025.

“The goal is to show that your dreams are achievable irrespective of how hard they can be,” he said.