VICTORIA EDEME speaks to 24-year-old Ifeanyi Agbaeze, who broke a 38-year record in the Department of Law, University of Uyo by emerging as the first male student to bag a first-class
How easy or difficult would you say bagging first-class honours in Law was?
Making first-class is not an easy feat. I won’t be honest if I say that it was easy. It’s not something that happens by chance. It takes a great amount of attention to detail, dedication, consistency, and commitment to achieve it. For me, it was a difficult process marked by years of long study hours, sleepless nights, making notes, and most importantly, attending lectures. I viewed every new semester as another lap in the journey to finish the race and I was determined to finish well. The good thing is that it paid off in the end. It was a difficult journey, but it was worth it.
Do you think graduating as the overall best student was something many expected?
Considering that I had been topping my class for quite some time before graduation, I believe that it was something that many people expected. It was bound to happen because semester after semester, I strived to maintain the top spot in the class and to make sure that I maintained the Best Graduating Student status. Having performed well in my last few semesters, it was to be expected. But graduating with a first-class degree was something many didn’t see coming, me inclusive, until towards the end of my academic journey.
Were there things you did differently that stood you out academically?
I don’t know if I did anything in particular that other students were not doing. However, I’ll mention the things that I did to stand out academically. Firstly, I studied hard, attended lectures, paid attention during lectures, asked questions, read the recommended textbooks, materials, and journals, stuck to the course outline, and took every assessment and assignment seriously. Secondly, I studied my lecturers to understand what their marking patterns looked like. Equally, I tried to know their likes and dislikes while answering examination and continuous assessment questions. Every lecturer has a pattern of doing things and any student who hopes to impress such a lecturer must know this pattern and follow it religiously. That’s what I did.
You were the best-graduating student in your department. How did that make you feel?
There’s a sense of fulfilment that comes with finally achieving a goal or executing a plan. That was what I felt when this grand achievement became a reality. Being the best graduating student in my department/faculty was such a big achievement for me and when it became a reality, I was overjoyed. It was a moment of realisation for me that all my years of relentless efforts paid off. The culmination of every sleepless night, study hour, continuous assessment, and examination led to the realisation of this grand goal. I remain eternally grateful to God for seeing me through.
What is your cumulative grade point average?
My CGPA was 4.54.
How were you rewarded by the department, faculty, or school?
Most of the rewards for the best-graduating students by the faculty/school usually come during the convocation, which is usually held two years after graduation. So I am looking forward to that.
What was the last time someone graduated with a first-class in Law at UNIUYO?
The last time a person graduated with a first-class from the Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, was in 2021. Notably, it was also the first time that anyone ever made a first-class degree in Law in the faculty’s 38 years of existence.
In your viral Facebook post, you stated that you broke a 38-year record in the Department of Law, UNIUYO, by being the first male student to make first-class. How were you able to do this?
Some qualities I imbibed that led to this record-breaking achievement included persistence, consistency, dedication, determination, discipline, and proper and effective time management. The first step to achieving this feat was believing that it was possible and that I could do this very difficult task. I faced a lot of pressure and distraction during the journey but I overcame them and remained keenly focused on the goal. Knowing that there was a time for everything made it easier for me. I apportioned my time to specific things and stuck strictly to my schedule. This is where discipline comes in. I knew that indiscipline would be a major pitfall and I fought against it. I remain dedicated to my studies at every interval.
I believe that these qualities are responsible for this grand achievement. I feel fulfilled breaking the faculty’s long-held record. Having my name written in the faculty and university’s book of honours is something to be proud of. It’s a lifetime achievement and I feel great and honoured.
What was the effect of the viral Facebook post where you announced your result?
I got several calls and messages from various people, law firms, media houses, and people in high places. I received congratulatory messages and offers; it was quite a busy week for me trying to reply to the myriad of messages and calls. I didn’t know that one post could go that viral. It blew up on Facebook, Twitter (X), etc. I never realised what feat I had achieved until the calls and messages started coming in.
Did you adopt a special reading method to achieve your goal?
I wouldn’t call it a special reading method. As a student, one has to identify what works best for them. Sticking to this helps one to become highly efficient and very productive. I identified that reading at home, during the day and night, leaving social media during continuous assessments and examinations as well as shutting out all distractions were the things that worked for me. I am a solo reader, so I mostly lock myself in my room and read whenever I want to. Doing all of this helped me to read effectively, understand properly, and remember accurately. As far as the reading method goes, I actively practiced and employed all of them during my time in school. Skimming, scanning, detailed reading, and active reading were all a part of the process.
What were some of the challenges you faced while striving to achieve your dream of finishing with first class?
As earlier mentioned, I faced a lot of pressure and distractions in school. Under pressure, a lot of people, including my friends and lecturers, had very high expectations of me and expected me to always remain at the top. This placed a lot of burden on me to perform at a top level at all times. Distractions are too numerous to mention as far as the university is concerned. Notable among them are extracurricular activities in the faculty and at the Student Union Government level. I was a student leader as I held some political positions and also contested my faculty’s presidency. While some of these extracurricular activities are very beneficial to human capacity development, they can also be time-consuming. On a positive note, I had to find a balance.
What do you think you did differently from other students?
Students are not a monolith. They are diverse people from diverse backgrounds, having different ideas and methods of doing certain things. I don’t think there is any particular thing that I did differently from other students. I just did what worked best for me and fortunately for me, it turned out well in the end.
How did you come about the idea of studying Law?
Studying Law was a childhood dream right from my secondary school days, and the support of my dad, Prince Agbaeze Ejiama (of blessed memory), shaped my dream. I love professional and practical courses, courses that will enable one to solve human problems and make an impact in society. I saw law as a perfect option for me as I am going to help several people in society with my knowledge and skills, with a particular focus on underprivileged children, women, and the most vulnerable in society. If I was a science student, medicine and surgery would have been my alternative.
How did your parents feel about your choice?
My parents were fully in support from day one, especially my late dad. His death motivated me more to pursue a Law degree because he shared in that dream when he was alive, and I wanted to do it for him as much as I want to do it for myself, my family, friends, well-wishers, and society at large who will in one way or the other benefit from my legal knowledge, skills, and expertise.
To what extent did your parents influence your education?
My father particularly was a powerful influence on my education. He wanted Law as much as I wanted it. He wanted to have a lawyer in the family and my dreams aligned with his wishes. Even when I lost him, he continued to be a big motivation for me to do well in school, be a better person, and make the family proud. Most importantly, some of the businesses my dad introduced me to before his death, helped greatly in putting me through school. So he is a powerful influence on me, even from the grave.
Was there something that your parents did consciously to shape you academically?
Yes, my parents played a crucial role in influencing my education through support, understanding, and love. I started my journey at the Department of History and International Studies, after failing to secure admission to the Law faculty in 2016. Then I had this arrangement with my parents that instead of staying at home for one year to wait to try again the following year, I should rather apply for supplementary admission to another related department and stay in school and write the next UTME. I applied for supplementary admission to the Department of History and International Studies, University of Uyo, and was admitted. I was in that department when I sat for another UTME that got me admitted into the Faculty of Law in 2017. So without the support of my parents, I wouldn’t have been able to do all these on my own. They’re a formidable force behind me in terms of financial, moral, and spiritual support. I am grateful to them.
Were you at any point worried that you might not make a first-class after all your hard work?
There were a few moments when it felt out of reach. One such moment was after the first semester results of my second year were released. Due to the results not being up to my standards and what was required to make a first class, I started to feel that making a first class would no longer be possible. Thankfully, the subsequent results were good enough to get me back on track. All hope was not lost after all.
What would you describe as your most challenging moment on campus?
My most challenging experience on campus was not an academic challenge. From my early days in the Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, I had always wanted to serve our prestigious student association in the highly coveted position of faculty president. In the second semester of my fourth year, I contested the position of the Law Students Association of Nigeria president, UNIUYO chapter, and won in a landslide. I will say that the most challenging moment for me on campus was the electioneering process. The height of it was when the results of the election were withheld indefinitely and never got announced.
How did you feel when you saw your final result?
When I saw my final result, I was so relieved. I felt a special kind of relief, and then joy, happiness, and peace. I felt all the good things. I was overwhelmed by a lot of positive emotions. It was a truly glorious moment. A very beautiful and unforgettable moment, made possible by God Almighty!
Having bagged a first-class degree in Law, what is next for you?
Ideally, Law School is next. It is important to finish what I started and in this context, finishing the journey to becoming a lawyer is the best option for me. While waiting to go to Law School, I am exploring other areas of interest and learning new skills in tech.
