By Olatide Faith

Gideon Oluwaseun Afolayan lost his father, Pa James Afolayan when he was just seven years old. His mother was the youngest of many wives, and he, the last of the six children from his mother.

The 27-year-old was raised by his eldest sister and her daughter, who provided him with the best education they could afford. This propelled him to graduate with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.90 from the Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State last Saturday, beating 325 others to win the overall best graduating student prize.

Sharing his story, the graduate of Physics and Electronics, with a deep hatred for poverty, declared that it made him graduate as the best.

“When I say poverty made me graduate as the best, I do not mean I was poor as a student, but I hate poverty with a passion and would not want it close to me. So, wherever I find myself I strive for excellence.  That was why all through my primary, secondary, polytechnic and university education, I always aspired to be at the top,” he said.

He came to live with his elder sister after the death of his father. “I lived with her in Zaria, and then her daughter also took me away from her due to God’s favour and good character. They asked if I would come and live with them and I agreed. God has raised me from one level of grace to the other since then. From Abuja we came down to Lagos and God planted me in BellsTech.” He said.

“Before I got admission into Bells, I asked God what he has for me because I believe in living my life based on specific target, God kept unveiling opportunities for me. I first had the passion to top my department. So, in the first semester God helped me with that and I had a 4.85. In the second semester David Abejide, who is my very good friend came to me one evening and told me there was a scholarship available, but the condition is to top my college. So, I continued with my hardworking life style and I topped my college with a 4.95 and got the scholarship. Sixty per cent of my fee was paid by the school for the year.

“After that I asked myself what other height I could scale and at the last convocation I told myself I would be the next.

Afolayan advised undergraduates to be disciplined, saying discipline determines the height everyone will get to on earth. He hopes to further his studies at the prestigious Cambridge University.