He looked ruffled but beamed smiles at every moment as an internet cafe attendant in NETPOINT, located at No 118, Lagos Road, Ikorodu, confronted him, wondering what a rat vendor, who parked his wheelbarrow outside, could be looking for in such an intellectually-minded business environment.
Thinking that Onwe Chinedu had gone there to market his products, Emmanuel, the café attendant and his customers, looked at him disdainfully. Chinedu’s response to their non-verbal questions, “I want to check whether my provisional admission letter is ready or not. How much will it cost me to check my result online?” both shocked and amused them.
Consequently, the 22-year-old Chinedu, who scored the highest mark (228) in the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State in the 2012/2013 academic session, told his story.? He hails from Orlu, Imo State, but lives in Ikorodu, Lagos State.?
He said, “As at the time I was leaving secondary school in the East, my educational ambition was not clear. I was not sure if I could get money to further my education to the university. My father would emphasise; ‘As long as I know, you have struggling parents and an elder brother in Lagos who is doing very well in his rat poison business; why can’t you go and join him after your secondary education?”But Chinedu’s unwavering ambition was to become the first engineer in his family. And in answer to his prayer, he emerged the best student in his chosen course: Material and Metallurgical Engineering.
Continuing he said, “After failed attempts to pass my chosen subjects at the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations, I roamed the streets of Orlu for a while and later decided to join my elder brother in Lagos and assist him in his business.? My brother was filled with joy when he saw me, and I indicated interest to assist him in his trade.”
He further recounted how he shared a one-room apartment with his elder brother in Ikorodu, Lagos. “It was very challenging and risky. I didn’t think I could get out of poverty. My life was just in a mess, waiting to be cleaned up. But this year, my pastor prophesied into my life and said, ‘This is your year,’ and I claimed it.”
Driven by the determination to change his life for good against all odds, Chinedu sat for the General Certificate in Education (GCE) examination, as well as the UTME.
He said, “I picked my tattered books together because I could not afford new ones and prepared for the examinations. But my brother discouraged me, insisting that I should concentrate on the rat poison business. As a result I almost lost concentration in reading my books, preparatory to the examinations. “My joy knew no bounds when the results were released and I passed, even in flying colours. It was like my dark days were over. I am now a potential engineer!’’
Chinedu got a provisional admission to read Material and Metallurgical Engineering in FUTO, and is currently putting finishing touches on his registration.
“I hope to be the best graduating student at the end of the programme; I also plan to obtain a Master’s degree in any university abroad,” he added, with a touch of pride.