INTERVIEW: I Read Two Hours, Pray for 2 Hours, 40 Minutes Every Day – UNILAG Overall Best Master’s Student With 5.00/5.00 CGPA, Johnson Olabode Recounts Success Journey

Mr. Olabode Johnson, a graduate from Lagos State University in Nigeria, achieved a remarkable milestone by emerging as the overall best master’s student at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, with a flawless CGPA of 5.00/5.00.

Johnson was honored as the Best Graduating Student (MSc) in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering during the 54th Convocation Ceremonies held in Lagos, in recognition of his outstanding achievement. In an interview with hifoxnews, Johnson disclosed how he achieved remarkable success despite the stress prevalent in the learning environment of Lagos and explored the power of consistency over tenacity in the course of journey.

Can we meet with you?

My name is Johnson Olabode. I’m not married. I recently finished my MSc at the University of Lagos.  

What do you think are factors that contributed immensely to your success in your graduate school, and what advice would you give to current and future students aspiring to excel academically just like you?

Just be Intentionally. And secondly, Consistency. I noticed many students lack consistency, when they tell you something about me.

Let me tell you a story. One woman that is very close to me, so immediately she saw the headline that this guy has finished. she called olabodez she said it in Yoruba saying “Emi ati e mo pe o kin kawe beyen”. She was like we know you don’t read that much and I was just laughing. What I’ve done differently is that I’ve mastered the art of consistency. Few days to exam, you won’t see me reading. I don’t have that time and in fact the funniest thing about me is that during the day I’m not active. Once it’s 7:30-8pm there’s a way my system knocks off automatically that I won’t do anything; there’s nothing anybody will say because I’m not the type that will read under pressure. So, in order not to disappoint my generation or myself, I read from the beginning of the semester. I keep reading consistently for 2hrs so that I won’t be pressured because when you are pressured, you want to get a lot of information into your head.

When I was in 200 Level, I wrote two courses in FUTA then, and they were 3 unit courses and in these courses I had D because those courses were bulky that I was just trying to put the information in my head and luckily the questions that the lecturers set are questions I saw and practiced, cos as a student there is a way to know how the lecturer will set the questions. I got to the exam hall, I saw the question, and I was thanking God they’re familiar. I wrote number one but to answer the question was difficult.  I couldn’t, probably it was tension. I went to number 2 and 3 but it’s still the same as I couldn’t’ write anything as answers. I was surprised and questioned myself like “What is going on”.  it was about 20mins to the end of the exam that I was able to put something down and what I wrote down gave me D in the two courses. I asked myself, “Did I read? Yes” “Did I Practice the questions? Yes”, so then what happened? I couldn’t figure it out. So, then I knew it was not my way.  So don’t try to get too much information into your head within a short period of time so you must be consistent in reading even before the exam. Education is not a scam, keep pushing, keep grinding and definitely one day you’ll be noticed.

What people do, one mistake people make, they just want to get information; they want to get the knowledge but me I am not really interested in knowledge as it were, but I am really interested in understanding because I believe when you understand, you nail it. So, for me I don’t go all out to just get information all in the sake of I want to pass exam, I don’t read for long hours, max two hours.

That’s the sincere truth, for me it is all about consistency over intensity. This is because, at the end of the day they wear out. I have tried it out before that I was always in the library reading but at the end of the day my result didn’t show. So, I felt like I have to be consistent every day. Hence, I read for two hours every day. There is nothing anybody can do, my two hours is consistent every day. Meawhile, I read, still with other things including my relationship with God. I give God two hours forty minutes personal devotion that’s ten percent of twenty-four hours, it is the consistency for me not the intensity.

Yes, my devotion is two hours forty minutes, because the consistency is there not just intensity. It was my method to give God ten percent, it’s just my method. When I read, I don’t read with my head, I read with my heart, I study with my heart such that when I’m not doing anything, I might be walking on the road, taking a stroll and you might think this guy is just walking aimlessly to and fro looking for who to devour like the devil, but trust me I’m meditating in my heart. In fact, I discovered that in that process, most of the things I discover while meditating, I will find them in the book whenever I go back to the book. It is as if I have found answers of things I will later find out in the book. There is a way meditation exposes the heart and you are able to discover a whole lot of things. So, I read with my heart with the intention of wanting to understand why is this? A lot of questions are being raised, I might be on the road, you know Lagos traffic and you might have to take BRT and of course I can’t bring out a book inside the BRT. I am always engaging my mind so I read with my heart, I study with my heart and not with my head. So, as the popular saying goes, “It is not how far or how long, but it is how well”. Two hours of no distraction, if I want to have my nap, I will switch off my phone, there is nothing anybody can do. If I want to read, I knock out completely and focus on whatever I am going to do, Two hours and I am fine.

Can you share a memorable experience or project that contributed to your personal or professional growth?

I remember when I was doing my research and I was fed up, but thanks to my friends and colleagues in the department that called to ask about the challenges we were having and I said I wanted to quit; that I wasn’t doing it again. The financial strength wasn’t there and because of that, I felt like I didn’t wanna push myself to the wall or start begging so I felt like I wanted to quit. The moment my friends heard about it, they insisted that I wasn’t going to quit and it’s not possible. That night, they raised 300k for me to continue and I was pushed to continue as their best student. That moment made me realize how much they believed so much in me so I felt renewed and recharged. Thank God for the gift of Men. Till today, they still hype me and they’re my best hype Men.

In the course of this journey were there any specific challenges you encountered during the studies? How did you overcome them?

Yes, I encountered quite a number of challenges. One was having to deal with Lagos traffic because I didn’t stay in the school hostel, I was coming from a very far distance, and sometimes I get home late 10pm or 11pm. Sometimes you have to leave very early and I want to thank my department for making it easier. I want to thank my colleagues too; they made it easier too. Nobody becomes successful in isolation whether you like it or not you need one or two people to be successful in life. My colleagues too, they were a lot of tutorials we had to do, together as groups. Lagos traffic was one major traffic I feel limited me. It was a serious challenge. The other one too was some tests I couldn’t do in Lagos at a point I considered taking some of them out of Nigeria.

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Mr Johnson: At a point I was planning to get some of my service out of the country to go and get some buy the prices they were calling was ridiculous. I didn’t have that amount of money, some to the United Kingdom, some to South Africa, it was challenging but I was able to do some at Zaria. Imagine me travelling from Lagos to Zaria to do test because we didn’t have some of the equipment. So, it was so challenging. The financial aspect was challenging too, because those tests cost a lot, but we thank God we were able to overcome

You mentioned the impact of friends and others. In your opinion, what sets apart exceptional students from others in a rigorous academic environment like the university of Lagos?

The ability to think far sets students apart from others. It’s a God given Grace. In life, you just maximize your strength and work on your weaknesses. I want to understand everything so I can be prepared for anything. You must be observant and another thing is Intentionality. You must be intentional in what you do.

To me, to have a B in an exam is a failure for me. So, I’m always intentional. I just want the biggest grades so that’s it. To me, I feel like I’ve failed when I have B in my exams.

Beyond academics, did you engage in any extracurricular activities or research projects that contributed to your success?

Oh no. I didn’t do much of that. I had a lot of things. I was a pastor in a church and I had a lot to deal with so I didn’t do much extra activities.

Has the government in Lagos and in your state reached out to you regarding employment?

Anyways, If I’m successful then I’m successful for myself, not that I want anybody to reward me but then I think our government should reward things like this, I mean both the federal government and the state government and it would encourage the youth to want to do more. Not even in this generation where everybody sees education as scam. People don’t want to read; they just want that certificate either it’s excellent or not. I personally think this incentive will encourage a lot of people to focus on education. Any nation that wants to thrive amongst other nations must take their education seriously. I also want to call onto the government to encourage and assist not only me but the students that are doing well and to encourage them because we all know it’s not easy. Interviewer:

No government has given me any opportunity but I learnt the Ekiti State governor will Call me any moment from now. I saw his congratulatory message and I believe he is putting somethings in order so as to meet up with me to discuss and see what the government has to offer.

I would also like to acknowledge one or two people that have reached out. The senator representing my old senatorial district in Ekiti State, Senator Cyril Fashuyi who gave a token of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira and Chairman of my Local Government, Ikole Local Government told me how they would appreciate my presence and also to many journalists who have reached out like Mr Male Ojo Lanre. Also, many academic influencers (On Twitter) the likes of Dr Michael Taiwo , Dr Muyiwa gbalajobi, Dr Toheeb Adewale. I’m thankful for this platform. When Senator Cyril called me and asked to save his number I was surprised, I expected it to be the opposite like being the one to ask for his number. A lot of people like that have reached out

I’m just very grateful for this platform and I want to encourage the youths, ‘if there is a way there is always a way, I mean we are all Nigerians so I expect nothing less. Nigeria’s blood will help us.

Finally, I know you’re probably considering the US or Canada for your PhD. So, what’s the next plan?

I still want to go for my PhD, Scholarship and most likely in the US. I’m trusting God for a fully funded scholarship. But before then, I’m open to job opportunities where I can practice some of the things I’ve learnt through research; where I can exhibit some of these skills that made excel in any organization I find myself so I’m open to any company that wants me for the main time.

Thank you once again Mr. Olabode Johnson.