How daily reading helped me bag first-class — UNIJOS best graduating student

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Chine-me Rueben Esor, the overall best graduating student of the University of Jos, at the institution’s 34th and 35th Combined Convocation and Golden Jubilee celebration held in Jos on Saturday, has revealed the secret behind her academic success.

In an interview with PUNCH Online in Jos on Sunday, Esor, who studied Computer Science and graduated with a First Class degree and a cumulative grade point average of 4.82, expressed gratitude to her family, friends and lecturers for their support throughout her academic journey.

“I’m really, really excited, and I cannot fully express how I feel physically because I’m more of an introvert. But deep down, I’m truly overwhelmed,” Esor said.

The 30-year-old, who hails from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and is the only daughter of her parents, particularly credited her achievement to God and her mother’s motivation.

“My mother would always tell me, ‘You know where you’re coming from. I do not come from a wealthy background. I came all the way from Port Harcourt to Plateau just to study. I’m not expecting you to come back home empty”, she recalled.

Esor emphasised the importance of hard work, consistency and discipline in achieving academic excellence.

“I read virtually every day, almost all the time, to the extent that some of my colleagues felt I had no life outside my studies. But I do. I do other things. I go shopping. You need hard work combined with consistency,” she said.

For her outstanding performance, Esor won several prizes, including the Chancellor’s Prize, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council’s Prize, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize, among others.

Speaking on her plans, Esor said she intended to further her education, with a special interest in robotics, and use her knowledge to help Nigeria tackle its security challenges.

“After my education here at UNIJOS, I want to go further. I have a strong interest in robotics. Last year, I applied for further studies in various schools, and when I’m done, I intend to use the knowledge acquired to help Nigeria address its security challenges, which are quite significant at the moment,” she said.

PUNCH Online reports that the combined 35th and 36th convocation ceremonies, held on Saturday, saw over 60,000 graduands awarded various certificates and degrees.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, who attended the ceremony, urged the UNIJOS graduands to deploy their knowledge and experiences towards Nigeria’s development.

Tinubu, who is the Visitor to the University and was represented by the Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Prof Ibrahim Garba Hassan, said, “Having gone through the rigorous processes of learning and earned your degrees, it is hoped that you will deploy the knowledge and experiences acquired for your personal development and, more importantly, for the development of our beloved country, Nigeria.”

The President acknowledged the sacrifices made by the graduands despite the numerous challenges facing the nation.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to education, citing the allocation of ₦3.5 trillion to the education sector in the 2025 budget.

Tinubu also highlighted initiatives such as the Student Loan Scheme, mechanised farming programmes, grants for medical education and entrepreneurship initiatives aimed at equipping students with modern skills.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda places education at the heart of economic and social renewal, linking learning to job creation, poverty reduction, democratic stability and national security. National development is impossible without skilled citizens and leaders of integrity. That is why this government is deliberately investing in education, digital skills, research capacity and institutional autonomy,” he said.

“As we congratulate the graduands, I urge you to put your learning into practice with pride, patriotism and commitment to nation-building. I commend the university leadership, parents, guardians and all who contributed to the success of these graduands. Go forth with confidence and purpose, and may you make your families, alma mater and Nigeria proud,” he added.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIJOS, Prof Tanko Ishaya, welcomed guests and highlighted the university’s achievements, including its ranking among the top ten Nigerian universities in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

However, he lamented the non-payment of take-off grants to the institution, noting that it had hindered its growth and development.

“UNIJOS is the only second-generation university that never received a take-off grant at inception. We have continued to play catch-up with sister institutions,” Ishaya said.

He explained that the funding gap had resulted in infrastructural deficits and stunted development.

“We have been grappling with a lingering paucity of funds. This precarious situation has continued to hamper our growth and development when compared with our prospects if other things had been equal,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Ishaya said the university had continued to expand, now boasting 17 faculties and 93 academic programmes.

“We have grown from a university with four faculties between 1975 and 1976 to twelve faculties by 2015. Today, we pride ourselves on having seventeen faculties and ninety-three academic programmes,” he said.

He further disclosed that the university had been selected as one of six Technology Centres of Excellence in Nigeria, focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

“This significant achievement places UNIJOS alongside four other renowned Nigerian institutions within the global ranking bracket of 1201–1500,” the Vice-Chancellor said.

He expressed appreciation to stakeholders, including the Federal Government, Plateau State Government, development partners, donor agencies, security agencies and individuals for their support.

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairperson of the Governing Council, Senator Grace Folashade Bent, also spoke at the event, celebrating the university’s Golden Jubilee and acknowledging the contributions of alumni and stakeholders.

The university also conferred honorary degrees on Rev Canon Sekcan Miner and Prof Phyllis Kanki in recognition of their contributions to national development and humanity.

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