A 45-year-old man, Bala Magaji, on Saturday emerged the best graduating student of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for the 2018/19 academic year.
Married to two wives and a father of seven, Mr Magaji, who graduated from the department of Islamic studies – was showered with encomiums at the 8th convocation ceremony of the university in Abuja.
”I feel very happy and excited today and I will recommend the school because it is one of the best in the country and it has rich materials,” Mr Magaji told Premium Times in a separate interview.
Asked how he combined his academics and marriage, he said ”I had to tell my wife to sacrifice every time she said she needed me and that is why I had to praise and thank her in my speech.
”I had the feeling that I will perform exceedingly well so I created time to study and I ensured I understood all I read. On the average, I read two to three hours daily and had lots of sleepless night,” he said.
Mr Magaji recorded a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.8.
He advised the management of the university to start a postgraduate degree in courses they are yet to have the programme.
”I will like to teach Islamic studies later,” he said.
Mr Magaji currently works at Unity Bank and he has a previous degree in Zoology from the University of Jos and a Masters degree in Banking and Finance from Bayero University, Kano.
