Gabriel Dike
In 2013, Mayowa Abiru, then a student of Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, promised his mum, Mrs. May Abiru, First Class but made Second Class Upper. At Law School call to bar ceremony recently, he paid the debt and even emerged overall best graduating law student.
Can you tell us about your background?
Mayowa Abiru is the last-born child of Mr. Kayode Abiru and Mrs. May Abiru. I was born into a family of three children, as the youngest and only male child. My family is an indigenous Lagos family, and I grew up almost entirely in Lagos State. My father was a banker (he is now retired) and my mother is an entrepreneur; my oldest sister is a medical doctor and my immediate older sister is currently completing a masters degree in finance. I come from a humble background where I quickly learnt the value of hard work and discipline – my parents were always extremely dedicated to our upbringing and to training us to be responsible adults someday, and so, from a very early age, I was fortunate to have had a lot of important values instilled in me. I also come from a proud family, the Abiru family of Lagos State is a well-known family that has produced many exceptional individuals and as such, I was always taught to recognise the significance of the surname which I carried and to never bring dishonour to my family.
I attended Childville Nursery and Primary School, Lagos and then went on to have my secondary school education at Caleb International College, Lekki. After six years in Caleb, I graduated in 2013 and began my university education later that same year at Babcock University’s School of Law and Security Studies. I studied Law for five years and graduated in 2018.
How was it like schooling in Babcock for five years?
The five years I spent in Babcock were perhaps some of the most significant years of my life thus far. I started university at a relatively young age, and so, you would not be wrong to say that a number of my formative years actually happened while I was in Babcock.
To answer your question, schooling in Babcock was not easy – it was the first time in my life that I lived outside of Lagos State, it was a very different environment to that which I was coming from. I am a Muslim, who grew up in Lekki – so you can imagine the shift from that, to finding myself in a Seventh-day Adventist institution in Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State. It was a trying time for me, and in my first year, I stumbled a lot. I was often in trouble for violating one rule or the other, and the adjustment process really cost me a lot, academically. I had found myself in an environment that I was uniquely unsuited to, and for a short while, I thought I would not make it. I actually remember one time in my first year, a school official called me aside and said to me, “I don’t see you lasting two full years in this school”, and honestly, he had a point. But in time, I learned to adjust to the environment and to pick myself up academically, and eventually finish in the top ten of my class.
Specifically, why the choice of Babcock?
Well, I think that initially stemmed from my parents’ conviction to ensure that all their children completed their first degrees in Nigeria. I am not exactly sure why they were so-oriented, but I suspect it had something to do with the fact that we all completed secondary school at young ages, and perhaps they were not too comfortable with the idea of sending us abroad at that age, to live on our own so far away. So, that was the position my parents adopted, and we had to make our peace with it.
Specifically, I think Babcock was chosen because my oldest sister schooled in the University of Ibadan, and her schooling was interrupted multiple times due to strikes, that cost the precious months of her life, and so, my parents resolved that their last two children would attend private universities. My immediate older sister was already in Babcock and about to finish, and as such, I think I already knew I was going to end up in Babcock. Also, as far as private universities go, I think, at that time, Babcock and Covenant were regarded as the most “established” institutions, and Covenant did not have a law program, so hence, Babcock remained the only choice.
Many believed that in missionary institutions, students don›t enjoy social life because of restrictions, how was it like for five years in BU?
I won’t lie and say that you don’t have a point – you do, but the truth is that it is not entirely the case. You are right in the sense that missionary institutions such as Babcock, have a lot of rules and restrictions that are strictly enforced, and as such, these could greatly restrict the freedoms that many youths hope to enjoy in university – but also, it is not entirely true. It is very possible to attend Babcock and have a vibrant social life – I for one, am proof that it is possible. You know the school you are enrolled in, so obey the rules and regulations – that is given, but also, you do not spend the entire year in school. Babcock students go on holiday just like every other university goes on holiday, and as such, when you are on holiday, you can go about your social activities as you please.
I think the problem that some people sometimes have though, is that they want to engage in social activities that they can’t ordinarily engage in when they are in their parents’ houses, and as such, when they can’t do it at home, and they can’t do it in school, it becomes a challenge. But in my case, I was fortunate to be born into a family with understanding parents, and so I was never unduly restricted while I was on holiday, I was free to have a social life while at home. So for five years in Babcock, when I was in school – I went by the popular saying “When in Rome …”, and when I was at home, I did as I pleased. It wasn’t easy, and it was a lot to adjust to, but well, it’s the system, and it’s not a system you can change, so if you decide to subject yourself to it, then you have no choice but to find a way to make it work.
Were you disappointed that you couldn›t make First Class at BU?
I don’t know if that is how I would describe it. I was not “disappointed”, because I did not fail myself, I put in the required effort and I know what I merited, but that is a discussion for another day. I knew right from my third year that I would not be graduating with a First Class, and so, you could say that I was upset about it, but I also knew I was not going to take it lying down. I graduated from Babcock with a CGPA of about 4.31, missing the mark for a First Class by about 0.2 – it was very painful, yes – but like I said, I knew that was only part 1, and that part 2 lay ahead.
I promised my mother back in 2013, that I would bring home a First Class from university, and when it became clear to me that it was not to be so, it only further fuelled my determination to rectify the situation in the law school. I mean every word I say, and my word is my bond – I owed my mother a debt and I had to pay it back, I am grateful that God gave me the good fortune to make it up to my mother, I will forever be thankful for that.
What special things did you do to bag First Class at Law School?
The truth is, the things I did to obtain the First Class in Law School, were not “special things”, I did the regular things that any serious student would do, I would just say that they turned out to be effective. I was in the Lagos Campus, and anyone that attended Law School in Lagos Campus will tell you, it is impossible to do everything that you are instructed to do. The standard in Lagos is so high, and the demands on you as a student can be a bit overwhelming, so even for me, I was never able to complete every assignment or every reading or every practice test – I would just say that I did as much as I could. I worked very hard and I started very early, I never procrastinated. I think hard work, discipline, and consistency, summarise my Law School efforts. “Hard work” because the actual work is not easy, and there is a lot to cover in a short period of time. “Discipline” because I still maintained a social life in Law School, so I had to balance that alongside my studies. “Consistency” or maybe I should say “Perseverance” because there were so many times I wanted to give up – so many times my body would not want to open that book or pick up that pen, but I had to remember why I was doing it and force myself to do the work that had to be done.
You bagged numerous awards at Law School, how many were they?
Over the course of my year in the Nigerian Law School, I won 15 awards in total, both at the subnational level and at the national level. In the pre-bar final tests organised by the Lagos Campus, I won four awards and emerged the best overall student in the Lagos Campus; and then a few months later, at the call to bar ceremony, I won 11 awards and emerged the best overall student in the country. I thank God for every one of those awards.
There are some of your friends in public universities you entered the same year, how do you feel graduating ahead of them?
Well, I certainly don’t feel good about the fact that our public education sector is fraught with so many challenges. As I said, my own sister went to the University of Ibadan, and she once had to stay at home for six months because of a strike, I know how disheartening the situation is. I am passionate about my country and I always try to contribute in my own little way of making things better. There’s no real point in saying I feel bad or feel guilty, about graduating ahead of some of my mates in public university – me feeling bad, does not do anything to help the situation – rather, I would use this small voice I have, to call on those in the positions to effect a change, to show empathy and imagine themselves or their children in the shoes of these young people. Time needs to come to Nigeria when people in positions of authority have real empathy for those they claim to “serve” and stop serving their own self-interest alone. I hope my generation gets a chance to make things right, and if that chance comes, I hope we actually do.
Were you a triangular student at BU and Law School?
No, not at all. I have never been a triangular student, in any institution where I found myself, that is just not who I am. In Babcock, I was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities; I played football for my class and we actually won the inter-level football competition in 2018, I played every single match. Asides from sports, I served as a judge in the Law Students Association of Nigeria, Babcock University chapter, and even went on to become the Chief Justice of Babcock University. That aside, I was also involved in a few social events on campus, I pioneered campus election journalism in the School of Law and Security Studies when I covered the 2017 Babcock University Students Association elections. Also, in law school, I was anything but triangular, I had a very active social life, it wouldn’t be out of place for you to walk into our popular social spots on days of an event and hear that a particular table is “reserved for Mayowa Abiru”. I tried to live a very balanced life in Law School.