By Gabriel Dike
One of the wizkids that obtained 9A1 in the May/June 2017 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Ikeoluwa Abioye has shared the secret of her success in the examination taken by over 1,556,162 candidates nationwide.
In the May/June 2017 WASSCE, the Osun State indigene with examination number 4251025002 recorded 9A1 in Civic Education, English Language, Further Mathematics, General Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Studies and Catering Craft Practice.
Abioye, who is from Irepodun Local Government Area scored 305 in the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and disclosed that she wants to study Computer Engineering at the University of Ilorin stressing ‘’I will have preferred to study at MIT or Harvard University but I need financial support.”
With this result in the public examination, she emerged the best graduating student of Starfield Private College, Iju and bagged numerous certificates, plaques and school director’s award. The school presented 101 students for the WASSCE.
Abioye, a former student of Starfield Private College, Iju, Lagos told The Education Report that she set target for herself in the school examination and worked hard to attain the good result.
Her words:’’ I give glory to God for achieving this academic feat. I read to understand the subjects. I always read even when I am not preparing for examination. When I read, I don’t cram. I play a lot with friends and also read together.
‘’Competition from my peers also spurs me to do well. I actually targeted to make A1 in nine subjects. I knew past students made 9A1, so I was determined to achieve same result. I am not a book worm but my classmates call me that name.
‘’I didn’t know about the result. It was my Biology teacher that told me when I came to read for my National Examinations Council (NECO). I was happy when the teacher informed me. My colleagues with me were happy about my result too.”
The wizkid appealed to Governor Rauf Arebesola of her State of Osun to award her scholarship. She said ‘’I wish that my achievement will be recognized by my state. I want the governor to emulate Katsina and Enugu governors that awarded university scholarship to Ali Cynthia Chinecherem and, two wizkid from the two states that also obtained 9A1 in the same examination.
Speaking on the feat recorded by former student, Principal (academic) of the college, Mrs. Sarah Oyinloye, said Abioye is calm focused student who worked hard to meet set target and doesn’t go for break like her mates.
‘’I am not surprised by her performance. The Director of the college have SSIII students target of 9A1 and she made it. In her school examination, she scored above 90 marks. In SSI, she competed with SSII and SSIII and won. Her set did better than the 2016 set with 0.38 per cent. In 2016 WASSCE, two of our students obtained 9A1. This is the best set since the college started.”
The Director of the college, Mr. Christopher Eigbe, told The Education Report that three years ago, he came up with a project, ‘’No child will be left behind,” targeted at producing students with 9A1 and teachers were instructed to meet the target.
Eigbe disclosed that first year of the project produced Amaechi who obtained 8A1, second year of project recorded two 9A1 and in 2017, Abioye obtained 9A1 noting in 2018, we are looking at 10A1. I give credit to my teachers and to achieve the 10A1, we will continue to motivate our teachers.”
Mother of the wizkid, Mrs. Kehinde Abioye, said she was speechless when a teacher called to inform her about her daughter’s performance in WASSCE.
On what might have contributed to her success, Mrs. Abioye said newspapers, particularly stories on First Class graduates were part of it, and to be in that class of achievement, she slept late to the point that sometimes, she would be prevailed upon by the parents to go to sleep.