Graduating in the First Class category from a university anywhere in the world is not easy to achieve. It means the person must have A passes in all his/ her courses and have 4.50 and above in the Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA.
But some undergraduates are so endowed that they break the barrier by getting CGPA of 5.0.
People in such category are seen as talented and whiz kids of sorts and societies treat them with great respect.
A scrutiny of First Class graduates produced by seven public universities across Nigeria in the last one year shows that a total of 1,899 of them were produced out of 115,255 students who graduated.
The universities are the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife, which produced 158 First Class graduates out of 7,910 graduands during its 47th convocation ceremony.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), on its part, produced 273 out of 35,758, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), which held its 37th and 38th convocation ceremonies together, 450 out of 25,234, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) which had 238 out of 12,272.
Others are the University of Ibadan (UI), 314 out of 6,865, the University of Benin (UNIBEN), 178 out of 14,254 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), 288 out of 12,962.
Importance
Because those who graduate from universities in the First Class category are seen as eggheads and probably sold to academic and research work, efforts are always made to retain them in the system.
Those who are not retained, especially in the developed world, are recruited for research and development (R&D) among other key areas of the economy.
But the Vice Chancellor, OAU, Ile Ife, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, while briefing journalists prior to the recent convocation ceremony of the university, spoke on what is happening in Nigeria.
“We are ready to retain our First Class graduates; there is no need to even think twice on that, but then what is the policy of government in respect to recruitment in the universities? We can’t do that on our own”, Banire had said on that occasion.
“Before you can actually recruit any one into any department in this university now, your paper has to go through seven agencies of government.
“It is not like you just pick anybody on the street and just say this is what you want and bring them in. You can’t because it has implications on the budget that is done for your school.
“For us, we don’t want to throw away our First Class students but because of the limitations that we have, it appears very difficult for us to retain them.
“You know the university is not autonomous to that extent. We just have to be looking ahead that policies of government will favour us to be able to do so”.
What it used to be
Relating his experience to Sunday Vanguard, a septuagenarian, Pastor (Dr) Peter Olayinka Sonaike, a First Class graduate from then-University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, said, “I graduated in 1970 with First Class from the Department of Economics, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
“I was the first person to graduate with First Class in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the university and the only person to graduate with First Class in the whole university in the year 1970.
“Immediately I graduated, I was appointed Assistant Lecturer in the department. After one year, I was sent to Oxford University on sabbatical leave to do a doctorate programme.
“My four-year post graduate programme was financed by the United Kingdom Technical Assistance programme to Nigeria and the University of Ife.
“I also had scholarship award from the Population Council which I did not utilize.
“In those days, the University of Ife was growing and needed many lecturers, and brilliant students who graduated with Second Class Upper Division and above were encouraged to go back to their departments as graduate assistants or assistant lecturers, and thereafter sponsored to undergo post-graduate programmes locally and abroad.
“All the arrangements for admission, visa, travelling and reception abroad were usually made by the university authorities and the foreign sponsors where appropriate.
“We were treated as staff on sabbatical leave and given generous allowances to cover all our expenses.
“It was a deliberate programme of the university authorities to develop manpower for the university.
“The sponsorship was usually with a bond for the beneficiary to go back and serve the university for a number of years.
“In those days, federal universities had full autonomy and were administered by their Governing Councils and Senates.”
Sonaike later worked for then-University of Ife for some years before joining the private sector where he served as a consultant to many local and international agencies and bodies.
Current realities
When Miss Amina Yusuf made the headlines early this year when she became the first person to get 5.0 CGPA at the Lagos State University, LASU, she was given N10 million by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and got an offer of automatic employment.
But there are other First Class graduates too who went home literally unsung.
When one talks about a perfect 5.0 CGPA in recent times, the name that may probably first come to mind is Ayodele Daniel Dada, who stole the show during the 2014/2015 convocation ceremony of UNILAG.
He graduated from the Department of Psychology.
Because he was the first to record such a feat in the university, the school gave him one million naira reward and then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, facilitated his appearing before the House on March 22, 2016.
The Ekiti State-born Ayodele was also honoured by then-Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose.
A year later, Miss Taiwo Bukola and Miss Ajoke Omotuyi also graduated with the same 5.0 CGPA from UNILAG in Cell Biology and Genetics and System Engineering respectively.
Credit: Vanguard
