AN ACADEMIC REBIRTH

He was so different from his elder brother, his parents observed. His attention
was never sustained in things his teacher was doing in the nursery class, instead he
would go out to play. Most of the times, he found the tap a convenient place to go,
he would sit under the opened tap as the water soaked his uniforms and his entire
body. Time without number he was driven home because of this.

His primary one to four was not much different; by this time his mother was
transferred to Shendam where he attended the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM)
primary school. He managed to climb up to position three occasionally although his
books were always missing. He would tear off portions of class works he failed for
fear of beatings he would get from his uncle who made it a duty to go through his
exercise books daily. Once discovered, he changed to copying corrections after
tearing off the pages and claim his teacher did not have red Biro to mark his class
works until he was still caught in the game by another uncle who paid his teacher a
visit concerning the issue.

He transferred to his former school in Lafia where he proceeded from primary

five to secondary school in Akwanga, once there, here continued to play much as
before although he was cautious not to break any school rule. Eventually his
unseriousness earned him a repeat of JSS two. He grew worse from this point,
though unintentional. He tried to perform better but could not, the damage had
been done, he had lost confidence he was suppose to build; another thing was
involved; he had contacted inferiority complex as a result of the repeat. Everybody
knew him as a repeater. His present class mates would not associate with a
repeater and he in turn was too ashamed to stay in the company of his former
classmates in the hostel, in fact they had even created a class difference against
him, this was a common thing in the school.

As a student without confidence to excel and also suffering from inferiority

complex, he was not well prepared for the “almighty WAEC” knowing full well that
some students far better than him before now have failed woefully. Worst of it all,
he was suspended along with few others for a crime he was indirectly involved
barely two months to the “almighty WAEC” and was asked to resume two weeks to
the exam. Needless to say he got F9 in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry -core
subjects for a science student.

He re-wrote his exams amidst self-condemnation, fear and inferiority in another

school the following year. Although he was sufficiently prepared, he still failed
Mathematics.

As an inferior student, he would not dare university for fear, he was very happy
when he got admission into polytechnic, a place he intended to hide his academic
woes by coming out with a National Diploma and if he dared enough as he intended,
also with a Higher National Diploma. Ironically, it was in the polytechnic he
discovered himself through an unlikely friend who also became his roommate,
mentor and instructor. He was in the same level with him in a different
department. He taught him his weakest courses that have to do with calculations.
He raised his ego as a friend and stood by him to discover himself. This same
person changed tremendously within a session to become the best in his class with
a distinction and led the class with a cumulative upper credit through the entire
course programme. Attempted WAEC one more time during his National Diploma
programme and cleared all his papers with high grades, he also wrote JAMB and
got an aggregate of 225 with which he proceeded to university to read Agriculture
though he put in for Medicine. He maintained second class upper from 100 level to
his graduation in 500 level. During the 5 year programme, the shy student with
inferiority complex metamorphosed into a strong willed and confident one as he
went through leadership position of a faculty sub-editor, Deputy Editor-In-Chief,
Editor-In-Chief, faculty president and a member of student consultative council
SUG. As a Baptist Student Fellowship (BSF) member, he moved from editorial
member, editorial secretary, academic coordinator and marital committee
chairman. He was awarded best student, overall, department of animal production,
he was also awarded state honours award in his NYSC year and have three books
written through him.

Above all, he discovered what God can do with the life of a seemingly hopeless man.