February 17, 2025

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Rising Above Adversities: Two Valedictorians, One Unforgettable Journey

By Azeezat Olatunde

Like the stories of many Nigerian students whose initial dreams are reshaped by circumstances, some are fortunate to turn those disappointments into blessings. This is the story of Haroun Adebakin and Samuel Badekale, the two overall best-graduating students with a perfect 5.0 CGPA. Interestingly, they are both from the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics. 

These two have shown they can make sweet lemonades from the lemons life throws at them. Badekale, in particular, grew up in Mushin, an area rumoured to be notorious for its violence and riots. However, that didn’t deter him from pursuing success, especially since 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.

Adebakin grew up in Abeokuta and attended Abeokuta Grammar School.

“Transitioning from St Peter, a very good private school, to a public school was challenging. I wasn’t among the top in the class, then I began to ask myself, ‘Why am I not in the top bracket?’”

Both initially aimed to study medicine and surgery, but unable to meet the required cut-off, they found themselves in the fields of Cell Biology and Genetics.

From the onset, both students were determined to achieve academic excellence.

“I’ve always had a 5.0 perfect CGPA. It extended towards the fact that I would become the best-graduating student. So, when it was eventually announced, it still didn’t come as a surprise because I’ve repeatedly prepared for it,” Badekale said, describing his unsurprising reaction to his achievement.

Conversely, Adebakin viewed his journey from a different perspective.

“My aim was not to become the overall best-graduating student. My aim was always to have 5.0. For me, it was about excellence and not being celebrated.”

This outstanding grade does not depict the simplicity of the course; instead, it emphasises the hard work and dedication of these valedictorian students. According to them, the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics had 14 first-class students and a few third-class students. This is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the class of 2024 that leaned on teamwork to ensure everyone had an excellent grade. 

“CBG wasn’t easy. However, one of the things that helped the journey was having someone else who was also on a similar path. Our course advisor, Dr Onyekachi Iwuraya, explained that UNILAG is not about competition but about improving and getting the best of each other. We help to organise tutorials with reading patterns, past questions, solving past questions, and all of those things,” Badekale explained.

Similarly, Adebakin reiterated how the companionship made the journey easier as they became accountable to each other.

“One thing I would appreciate about our companionship was that we could check on ourselves. Is this guy doing well? Are you ready for the exam that’s coming? Hey, bro, you need to push for this, bro. We cannot afford to slack, we’ve got to reach the endpoint. These regular check-ups have been helpful,” he explained.

One unifying thread among successful students is the reading routines they adopt to excel in their examinations. While each student follows a routine, these routines are uniquely tailored to their preferences and learning styles. The two valedictorians advised students to identify what routine works for them. 

One way to identify UNILAG’s examination period is the scene featuring a deluge of students walking to their overnight reading locations. This picture would make one think this is the only means to attain academic success. Contrarily, Badekale asserted that reading during the day has been more effective for him and that he hardly does overnights.

Similarly, Adebakin mentioned that attaining academic success requires more than talent. 

“Just like Ronaldo said, talent is not enough. You must be willing to put in the work that combines with your gifts and intellectual capacity, and the stories begin to change.” 

Like diamonds formed under pressure, these valedictorians have overcome their fair share of challenges during their undergraduate years.

Adebakin had a peculiar challenge during his undergraduate years. 

“I had the challenge of handling several things at the same time. I was trying to achieve 5.0 every semester while attending Chinese classes and learning the French language, data science and artificial intelligence, taking Arabic classes, memorising portions of the Quran and studying some of Islam’s sciences.”

He also revealed that he once took exams after receiving injections at the medical centre because he was ill but still earned As. His early semester preparation proved vital in helping him navigate these obstacles.

Badekale highlighted maintaining the perfect CGPA and academic burnout as his challenges during his undergraduate years. 

“Consistency was hard to maintain. As easy as it might look, having to come up every semester to do the same thing repeatedly can be mentally challenging. There are days you have academic burnout because this is technically something you must do.”

The saying, “What didn’t kill you makes you stronger,” aptly summarises the rise to success of these two valedictorians. 

Haroun’s remarkable CGPA was just one part of his accomplishments. He actively engaged in extracurriculars, serving as captain of his class and departmental football teams, and excelled as a Confucius Institute student, achieving a perfect score in Chinese. Harun also won notable awards, including first place in the AI Policy Case Study Challenge, and co-founded TechBio to provide free data science training.

Similarly, Samuel Badekale’s passion for mental health led him to establish the Students Mental Health Advocates (SMHA) initiative. Among his numerous awards are first place in the Prof. Babajide Alo Organic Chemistry Competition and the Encourage Science Research Grant.

Harun is an AI engineer committed to advancing artificial intelligence and healthcare through Cell Biology and Genetics. He is also launching a foundation offering Nigerian university students scholarships and free data science training.

Badekale plans to pursue postgraduate studies in molecular biology, focusing on therapeutic solutions for sickle cell disease. He also aims to establish research centres for genetic diseases and is organising TEDx Idi-Araba, slated for 2025.