UNILAG Student Sets New Academic Record In Africa, Bags Ph.D At 24

HALLOWED OLAOLUWA
HALLOWED OLAOLUWA

A 24-year-old student of the University of Lagos, Hallowed Olaoluwa, set a new academic re­cord in Af­rica as he bagged a doctorate degree in Mathematics for the 2012/2013 session on Wednesday.

With a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.0, Olaolu­wa had the best Ph.D thesis, as well emerged the young­est African scholar, displac­ing Olabisi Adeyemi, who had graduated from the same insti­tution with 4.98 in 2012 at the age of 26, as well as Opeyemi Shodipe of Babcock Univer­sity, who graduated the same year at 25.

The award was conferred on the young scholar and 104 other stu­dents, who had successfully completed their Doctor of Philosophy programmes at the finale of the convocation ceremony of the university, held at the Multi-purpose Hall.

An indigene of Ekiti State, Olaoluwa was honoured in the presence of a former Head of State, General Yaku­bu Gowon, the Executive Sec­retary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Ju­lius Okojie, who represented the Visitor to the university, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Pro Chancellor of the uni­versity, Prof Jerry Gana, the former Vice Chancellor of UNILAG and Vice Chancellor of Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OS­USTECH), Prof Tolu Odug­bemi, among other dignitaries.

Full of excitement, Olaolu­wa said he completed his Ph.D programme in three years.

Speaking with Daily Sun, the Ph.D holder said that he enrolled for his first degree at Central African Republic at the age of 15, below the minimum age requirement set for Nigerian universities by the NUC.

Born in 1989 in Bangui, Central African Republic, he had a First Class and second degrees in Mathematics and Physics in 2007 and 2008, at the age of 18 and 19 respec­tively.

Like a child destined for greatness, Olaoluwa had already bagged two degrees at a time most of his mates in Nigeria were battling with their Uni­fied Tertiary Matriculation Examination and its attendant rigorous post-UTME.

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