Do you remember the EndSARS protest in Lagos, Nigeria? Well planned and well created — but I don't know, the government really tried. Many youths died, while many got injured. I call it a debilitating catastrophe that changed nothing within our system.
Fast forward to my academic journey from 100 level to 400 level… I laughed at last.
Ha!!
Let me begin with the silent cry.
I had 314 in JAMB UTME and applied for Medicine and Surgery at Olabisi Onabanjo University. But during that period of COVID-19 pandemic, there were restrictions to movement. We were told to take an online Post-UTME exam through an app called SABOSI. That app used a camera and detection system but, everything was fucked up.
From day 1...
We all knew that exam was a setup. 😂😂😂🤌🤌🤌
The school mandated that we must have a strong internet connection, despite knowing how unreliable Nigerian networks are. During the exam, everything was messed up. Clicking “Next” would load endlessly. I couldn’t even finish.😂
Several people complained, but the school still used those results.
When we met the admission officer, he told us bluntly:
“We can’t use our state money to sponsor non-indigenes for free.”
My 314 was a waste. Such a high score… gone.
I complained — no response. My once-guarded joy became a sad burden.
Admission list was broadcasted and I wasn’t on the list.
By week four of oou academic calendar, my principal, Mrs. Itiolu, asked,
“Haven’t you gotten admission yet?”
I said, “No.”
Everyone believed I would be admitted — after all, it takes a scholar to score that high. She called someone at the admission office, and finally, I was placed among the Anatomy students — by week 5!
In Nigeria, it is who knows who. 😞😔
Week 5 of the academic calendar, guys! I was still parabulating — torn between choosing Medicine or nothing else. But eventually, I chose Anatomy.
Despite the late admission, I didn’t give up. I missed many tests, but I pulled myself up.
OOU sun!!
Guys, the stress — trekking, it’s so tiring. Taking a bus? That was a tug of war. Exam time? Even worse.
Still, I finished 100 level with an Upper Credit.
Determined, I focused on a First Class — aiming for a Direct Entry into another university while still taking new JAMB exams.
Next JAMB: I scored 280, and had 80 in Post-UTME. Still, I wasn’t given admission — because I was a non-indigene.
So now I was chasing two things: school and JAMB.
During the strike period, I worked to make money. But then came a devastating accident in my second semester, leading to a fracture that nearly cost me my leg.
But that didn't steal my joy.
While on the hospital bed, I was reading about the lower limb anatomy. At the end of that semester, I finished with a First Class.
My senior told me, “Joseph, keep it up.”
He even taught me about the arteries and veins of the upper and lower limbs.
Then, I was someone with a focus and ambition.
I don't quit... I had faith in my heart.
Moving on to 300 level — second semester, we were barely lectured. We had to look for materials ourselves. A mandatory IT program was introduced, but it didn’t align with the academic calendar. This affected my GPA. Thankfully, the department later extended Anatomy to 5 years to properly include IT for the Jambites at that time.
400 level came — the dreaded project year.
I fed rats like I was feeding a human infant. 😩
I was made project group leader, and I worked so hard that I could barely do anything else. Life became hard. I spent unnecessary amounts of money. It drained me, physically, emotionally, and financially.
My colleagues made things worse. The project was overwhelming — it nearly broke me. At one point, I even trended on TikTok for calling them out on their wrongdoing. That moment damaged my reputation. It was brutal.
I was unhappy. I felt sad, dejected and tired. I knew what hunger was. There was a day that I was to present, can you believe that I was vibrating. Every time I move, I was also vibrating. Initially, I thought that it was normal stage fright; but it was due hunger strike.
Hunger became real, and I knew how to package it. 😂
But at the end, my lecturers, family, and friends all celebrated with me — because I graduated with a First Class.
I also got a special recognition award. Though, the university promised to give us a certain amount of money which we didn't receive.😂
That joy erased the sadness, the pain, the tears.
Hallelujah. Glory. 🎉
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