The best graduating student of Crawford
University, Igbesa, Ogun State, Oluwatimilehin
Sotubo, speaks to SAMUEL AWOYINFA on his
road to success
The best graduating student of the Crawford
University in the 2012/2013 convocation,
Oluwatimilehin Sotubo, did not initially set out to
study Economics. In fact, he had done two years
as a medical student at the Olabisi Onabanjo
University, Ago Iwoye, before he took another
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, and
secured admission to study Economics at
Crawford.
Sotubo says he got fascinated to medicine
because his father, Olukunle (now late), and elder
brother, Tomiwa, were doctors. But after two
years, he found out that he had no passion for it.
He says, “I was admitted in 2007 to study
Medicine, but we resumed in 2008. I enrolled as a
medical student because my dad and elder
brother were doctors. I did very well in all my
courses, but along the line, I discovered that I
really did not have passion for Medicine.
“After a close monitoring of my dad’s schedule, I
realised that the profession was too demanding.
So I quit in 2009. I had to sit the UTME and
applied to read Economics at the Crawford
University and I passed.”
Beaming with smile, slim-built Sotubo adds that
he has no regret for a change of course of study
and university.
“No regret whatsoever. I believe as an economist,
I can still save lives, through sound economic
policies that will lead to creation of employment
and development of the country,” he says.
For him to earn the best graduating student
status, he notes that prayer, hard work and focus
were three ingredients that led to his recording
the feat.
He adds, “First, I did not joke with my studies.
Again, I prayed before and after writing any of the
examinations.
“I believe in the power of focus and hardwork.
These attributes really helped me in becoming the
best graduating student.”
For Sotubo, who beat 287 other students, scoring
a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.91 out of
5 CGPA, it was no surprise that he was the
cynosure of all eyes during the school’s fifth
convocation last Wednesday.
Indeed, the 21-year-old received eight of the
academic prizes rolled out by the university. They
include the Chief Ernest Shonekan’s Prize for the
most Outstanding Behaviour; Prof. Peter
Okebukola’s Prize for the Best overall Graduating
Student; Remi Olowude’s Prize for the Best
Overall Result in Economics, and the Ngozi
Osueke’s Prize for the Best Behaved Graduating
Male Student.
Other prizes the lad won are the Vice-
Chancellor’s Prize for the Best Student in
Business and Social Sciences, University’s Prize
for the Best Student in Economics, Parent
Forum’s Prize for the Best Student in Business
and Social Sciences and Parent Forum’s Prize for
the Best Student.
For him to have earned this, does it mean that he
had no time for extra-curricular activities on
campus? Not quite, he responded quickly, adding
that fate had a hand in all of this. According to
him, he had a girlfriend while he was at 100-level,
but the relationship crashed as quickly as it
started.
The youngster, who attended Mayflower School,
Ikenne, Ogun State adds, “Yes, I had a girlfriend
while I was in 100-level, but we discovered that
our views and ideas were different. We had to
discontinue the relationship, and that was where I
ended everything that had to do with romance on
campus.”
On his role model, he notes, “I will consider
anyone who is affecting the lives of the people
positively anywhere he or she finds himself or
herself as my role model.”
Sotubo’s mother, Adebukola, who offers an idea
of her son’s next agenda, notes, “After his one-
year compulsory National Youth Service Corps
scheme, he will be going for his master’s
programme.”
The mother of three, who works with an
international agency, however, will not reveal
whether he will do the programme in the country
or overseas.
Meanwhile, of the 288 graduands, 17 of them
made first class grade, while 62 others obtained
second class upper division.
In his convocation lecture entitled: Higher
education and The Nigerian 20-2020 dream,
former Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile Ife, Prof. Michael Faborode,
examines the nation’s higher education and
submits that a lot still needs to be done in the
sector.
He notes that the task of rescuing and refocusing
the nation’s higher education is becoming more
daunting by the day. According to him, policy
inconsistency and recurrent somersault is a major
complication.
Faborode, who is the Secretary-General,
Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian
Universities, explains that the governments of
emerging economies support, fund and promote
institutions of higher technical learning, as well as
academies of engineering and technological
sciences, among others.
Also, the former Executive Secretary of the
National Universities Commission and Crawford
University Council Chairman, Prof. Peter
Okebukola, notes that for the public universities
to get optimal result in infrastructure
development, the Federal Government’s N1.3tn
revitalisation funds needed to be judiciously
spent.
Pointing to a 2012 study conducted by the Global
University Network for Innovation, Africa, he says
though funding plays major role in improving
quality, there is still need for quality university
leadership, staff and students.
He adds, “With inept, inefficient and corrupt
management, the huge injection of funds will have
minimal impact. Second, if the students come
poorly prepared from the secondary school level,
with poor study habits and are morally bankrupt
as a consequence of poor home training, the
effect of huge buildings and fat salaries of staff
brought about by the huge injection of funds will
not go far.
“Third, if the quality of staff in terms of potential
to deliver quality education and moral upbringing
is low, we will be climbing a greasy pole in trying
to improve quality of the system through funds
injection only.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samson Ayanlaja,
notes that the university’s vision is to produce a
new generation of skillful, knowledgeable and
honest workforce and leaders.
He says, “We have continued to excel in the
teaching and learning and acquisition of
knowledge which, as we know, is the present
global intangible currency that translates to skill,
competence, knowhow and consequently
economic development and national technical
advancement.
“The university is addressing the scourge of
unemployment headlong by attempting to bridge
the skill gap and exposing students to hands-on
entrepreneurial skills.”

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