What does Ahmadu Bello University get?

This week, there were several reports in the media celebrating the feat of Abubakar Abubakar who broke the record by being the first student ever to graduate with a first-class from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria’s Faculty of Law. Congratulations to Abubakar on this accomplishment and for showing us all that it can be done.

Abubakar gets accolades from all of us for this achievement. But what does ABU get? What is it celebrating right now?

”We finally found that exceptional student!” Is that what they are saying?

Or should I congratulate ABU for not being good enough to produce a first-class student for decades from that faculty? Or congratulate them on their callousness in denying good students their deserved grades?

If universities around the world which are a thousand times better than ABU regularly graduate first-class students in law, what does that say about ABU?

I think it is a crackpot notion to celebrate the idea that no one is good enough to graduate with a first-class from your department or faculty when similar schools teaching the same content do so regularly.

It shows that there is either something wrong with your students recruitment process or with your teachers.

I’m not trying to rain on Abubakar’s parade. If he was able to wade through the nonsense mindsets and the usual traps thrown in his way and still graduate with this record, he must be truly exceptional.

He must have truly deserved it.

When I shared this piece on social media, the following were the comments I received:

Isah Kolo:

I totally agreed with you. If it would take decades for ABU to have a first-class graduate of law, then something is wrong somewhere because Abubakar should not be the first exceptional student that must have studied law from ABU.

Abdullahi El-Amin:

Those of us who graduated from ABU were genuinely happy seeing this refreshing news. But we are not praising the same ABU that made it impossible for us to get the 1st Class. We praised the young man, Abubakar for he withered the storm, landmines, and needless hiccups that would have made him join our ranks. He is indeed something else. He must be exceptional. I don’t believe the school has changed or the lecturers now have a change of heart. The guy just made sure they never saw him coming. I’m sure he was invisible in class. I’m sure he avoided attention and controversy. I’m sure aside being good academically, he mastered the art of war. You need that to defeat ABU.

Rahama Hamzah Sani:

The department should be investigated for not having first-class graduates before now because they don’t want their students to do better than them. Like some universities and departments, some lecturers are sadists and don’t want their students to excel.

Suleiman Baba Umar:

Doc, the truth of the matter is Abubakar can not be mightier than most students who came very close to setting the record but were denied because of the culture of the system, lecturers and individual factors. The tendency of students graduating with first-class degrees depends on the culture of the university, department and lecturers. I think the faculty of law has decided to let someone have it. If the lecturers and department didn’t want him to have it, they could have still stopped him by ‘ giving ‘ him a B in one of the courses. That’s how universities here operate. Sad!

Abraham Kolo:

The Nigerian university scoring system is becoming more liberal maybe because of the proliferation of both public and private universities. I remember in the 90s during our undergraduate days at BUK, the general notion was that if you want to get first-class go to Mathematics, Engineering and Accounting departments. In most cases, only one person graduates with a 2.1 in a department. Some lecturers will confidently tell you no one gets A in their course. It was that bad!

Dr Samaila Waje:

I think it has nothing to do with the students, but more to do with the attitude of some lecturers who always reserve a distinction for themselves. Many excellent students were deprived of their deserved grades, which consequently makes them missed out a lot of opening globally.

Ammar Muhammad Rajab:

There are many departments in the university [ABU] that have yet to graduate a first-class student not because the students are not good, but because of the notion that ‘you cannot graduate with first class.’

Ahmad Raji:

ABU has lost her globally recognized glory to other universities. Think of a university with the highest number of professors yet couldn’t produce medium standard as compared to Unillorin with fewer professors but produces first class and still maintains the status of the most subscribed university in Nigeria. ABU please bridge the gap and bring back the glory.

Muhammad Ahmadu:

Over the years, better students (without disrespect to Abubakar) have been denied the right to graduate with first class. My wife was a victim of such from that same department, she was clearly denied.

Usman Muhammad Chiroma:

Doc, this is one of the challenges facing our tertiary institutions. The system wasn’t designed or it was redesigned to frustrate the students. Most tertiary institutions mistake this as “standard”.

Awwal Ibrahim Ndako:

Doc, it only reminds me of your article, “upside-down thinkers and inverted zombies” especially the part on wicked lecturers. It goes to show how sadistic some so-called learned people are. The Naija sense of entitlement is trouble to us all.

Nma Kano:

They are cheating Arewa students. Some openings globally require you to have good grades. And since this evil mindset is more common in Arewa, many students graduate with less than what they deserve – hence losing out on scholarships and similar opportunities. Their wickedness has rendered them short-sighted; for they cheat not only their brothers and sisters but also their children.

Ibrahim Shehu Kuso:

It is just the nonsense mentality of lecturers who think they are Demigods. In my university,  there was a lecturer who used to tell us that A was for him alone and what that means is that whatever effort you put in, you cannot score A. That’s the mentality all over Nigerian university system.

Abubakar Yahya Hassan:

It’s sad students are made to believe that he who suffers the most is the most intelligent. Wherever you go, students brag about hardship. “I suffered more” is a mighty slogan which students glorify. By the way, congratulations to Abubakar who has broken the shackles and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that it can be done. When next they say jump, please tell them how high?

Yahya Yusuf Muye:

You cannot run away from reality,  glad ABU have realised that.

Muhammad T. Muhammad:

Dr, you have said it all, it will amaze you when some lecturers device a means of denying students a certain grade deliberately because of the unfounded culture established by some callous teachers. May Allah save us from us.