How I overcame all odds to make first class
Daily Trust: What is it about growing up that influenced you?
Adamu Tilde: I come from an extended family and have 30 siblings. All my life, I attended public schools starting from Tilden Fulani Central Primary School and proceeded to Sheikh Ibrahim Arab Special Secondary School, Karau-Karau, Zaria where I finished in 2006. I studied General Agriculture at the University of Maiduguri, graduating top of my class in 2012 with a 4.4 CGPA.
While I had an edge with Islamic knowledge and training, I have little regarding Western education. It wasn’t challenging to me at public primary school and I had a smooth ride finishing as second-best pupil. However, the story was different when I moved to Zaria for my secondary school. I got the first shock of my life when a little boy then welcomed me to the dormitory in English. Speaking English then was a nightmare. My brother and I exchanged looks. I remember when the first term result was announced my brother and I assumed second and first positions, respectively. A classmate felt cheated and said ‘anyway they don’t know how to speak fluent English.’
And he was right, then. I first heard of novels like ‘Without a silver spoon’ and ‘Chike and the River’ from him. The only edge I enjoyed was my ability to grasp and remember without much difficulty whatever I was taught.
DT: What does it feel like graduating with almost 5 points?
Tilde: It is gratifying and fulfilling to see one’s efforts and dedication do not go in vain. It really echoes the saying ‘Hard work pays.’
DT: Do you feel disappointed you didn’t make 5 points?
Tilde: Not really. I still made a first class and I know it’s not an easy feat. Actually, what happened was, there was a course, Gene Mapping and when the result was out, I got ‘Very Good.’ That’s a ‘B.’ My friend was shocked when I told him about the result. So was I. Until we graduated, the lecturer believed that he recorded excellent for me but I wasn’t disturbed. ‘What’s wrong with only one B grade?’ If I had pursued it, it may have been a different story.
DT: Can you share some of your most challenging experiences in the duration of your course and how you surmounted them?
Tilde: I left Nigeria mid-November, 2014, two months after my programme started. I got my first shock when I received a consignment of eight textbooks to study for that semester. I was only used to lecture notes. I was demoralised. Thankfully, the university helped with extra classes to bridge the gap. This meant no winter holidays for us and the professors with lessons or practicals holding from 8:00am until 5:00pm with intermittent 15-30 minute breaks from Monday to Friday. It was hectic. While my December was occupied with lectures, January 2015 was a lot of endless reading. I used to read for like 17-18 hours daily. I had to seek the assistance of an ophthalmologist twice.
Another daunting task was writing reviews and essays. No copy and paste. One has to paraphrase virtually everything. They were strict about plagiarism which is a criminal case that can land one in prison. The system in Hungary is, course and research work go concurrently. Unlike in the conventional system where first, you’re to finish your course work, then research. Balancing the two has been my greatest challenge. For eight months, I attended lectures between 8:00am-2:00pm, and then proceeded to the laboratory until 6:00pm. Well, I survived it.
DT: Were there times you almost backed out?
Tilde: Yes! On many occasions, I sometimes, rhetorically asked myself, why on earth did I choose academics as a career? There was a time while carrying out one vital technique; I repeated it over 10 times. Each time I had to add, reduce, change, adjust, balance and homogenise yet, my supervisor was dissatisfied with the results. We are talking of about five to seven days’ work. I said to myself, if my supervisor asked me to repeat anything again, I will call it off and change the topic. Luckily, he agreed to the result after another try. The expended energy was worth it. The research won the best M.Sc. Research in the Institute.
DT: There is the perception that students excel abroad because of the difficulties and rigours of the Nigerian educational system and don’t necessarily have to work as hard in foreign universities. Do you agree with this?
Tilde: Yes, to some extent. I read more and for longer hours in Hungary than in Nigeria. In Hungary, the questions usually are problem-solving oriented. You need to think deeply, and thoroughly understand your field of study to answer them. Unlike in Nigeria where you will be asked and expected to give back what you’re given. Left to me, what really makes Nigerians excel abroad isn’t the lack of difficulty of the courses but the availability of learning materials and conducive environment that facilitates learning process-willing and friendly professors, state-of-the-art laboratories, internet facilities and so on.
DT: What can you say is the secret of your success?
Tilde: There is no easy way to success. You either pursue it with all the seriousness it deserves or back out. And, for whatever it’s worth, if there’s any secret about my success, it’s nothing other than religiously adhering to the 5Ds as one of my mentors and biology teacher, Ms. Titilayo Akibu would say - determination, devotion, discipline, diligence, and dedication.
DT: With your school routine and schedule, did you have time for leisure?
Tilde: Yes, a lot! My principle is simple. Enjoy the moment while it lasts, but do what is to be done as at when due and give it your best.
DT: Who or what was your greatest motivation?
Tilde: My mum, then some of my teachers and mentors. I can’t imagine where I would have been today without the mentoring of my teachers.
DT: What is next from here?
Tilde: I want to proceed for my PhD immediately. I did my MSc courtesy of a Nigerian government scholarship and I am optimistic I will get a PhD sponsorship. Anything short of that is more of underutilisation of my potentials. I will keep applying. So in the event I don’t get sponsorship soon, I will delve into farming and teaching. After making some savings, I will go back to school.
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