- Onwumere, UNN First class graduate narrates how he was awarded scholarship by Ex-Gov. Sullivan administration
- Ex-Gov. Ugwuanyi denied him the scholarship, despite all his efforts
- He donates his first NYSC allowance to indigent pupils in Akwaibom state
For Paulinus Odinakachukwu Onwumere of Aninri local government of Enugu state, life is all about giving back to the society what the gave to you.
After bagging a First Class degree from University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu state he did what many found impossible to do.
He donated his first National Youths Service Corps, NYSC allowance to indigent pupils of Royal Assurance International School, Akwaibom state to pay for their one year school fees. WITHIN NIGERIA had an exclusive interview with him where he narrated how Enugu state denied him his scholarship award by Sullivan Chime administration.
Excerpts
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Onwumere Paulinus OdinakaChukwu. I hail from Ovum Mpu, in Aninri Local Government Area, Enugu State. I come from a polygamous family. First child from my mother. Attended Community Primary School between 2004-2010, and Model Secondary School between 2010 and 2016 respectively. I attended many competitions within this period; won many, lost some. On 29th November, 2009, the then Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, awarded me alongside my two other friends scholarship from primary school to university level.
The scholarship expired at our JSS2, after former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi resumed office in 2015. What happened is still a mystery to us. I talked about the scholarship because it seems the interview is about my academic journey.
Why did you decide to study Theatre and Film Studies?
Well, it was PASSION! Yes, passion. As a person with sanguine as my primary temperament, I could not think of any other course to study.
When I was in JSS3, I had to ask one of my cousins the name of the course that anyone who wants to act film could study in the university. He immediately replied, “Theatre Arts.” I noted the name that day and decided not to change my mind about studying the course. I knew I was a sociable, easygoing, funny, popular and likeable person. I loved everything about entertainment.
But here comes the dark side of my journey. I lost my father in 2012, and my mother was admitted at the hospital for a whole 1 year. That was when the effects of coming from a polygamous family dawned on me. My mother was indisposed for 5 good years. I had to take a stint as a teacher in one private primary school to raise money to buy JAMB form. At that point, I really loved school.
To me, it was a step of faith. I just needed to gain admission into the university let it be that I did not see anyone to support me. As a very intelligent boy in my primary and secondary school days, my uncles did not support me going to study Theatre Arts in the university.
They insisted that I take a professional course. At that point, I was naive but I knew what I wanted. I attempted changing my mind to study another course, not until I read Tim Lahaye’s “Why You Act The Way You Do.” His temperament book. That was when I found out my temperament and the vocational aptitude suitable for such temperament, which include acting, singing etc. That was how I made up my mind completely and the rest was a story.
How did you make it, getting first class degree in Theatre and Film Studies?
The short, simple and straightforward answers to that question are PASSION, HARDWORK, CONSISTENCY and DILIGENCE.
As an undergraduate in a department that gives you little or no time to read your books, I was able to excel because I loved the course. Not like I love it more than any other person(s), but the passion was the driving force. I told myself I was going to cultivate the habit of “Reading Without Ceasing/Season” in my first year. Due to the nature of the department, which starts 6am-7pm, I made it compulsory to read whenever I had a free period (even if it was 20 minutes), and I do that everyday. I’m not the kind of student that reads for many hours. To be honest, throughout my days as an undergraduate, I never attended a night class, and I never read for 4 hours at a go. My timetable read 4am-6am everyday, and that was the time that worked for me. It also has to do with doing what works for one. My roommate then would read from 8pm-6am the following day. But that was what worked for him.
I was involved in every curricular and extracurricular activities in my department, participated very well in class. I was everywhere. So, it was almost impossible for a lecturer to believe that I could fail a course.
My first year result was the worst of the four years, but was the best in my class then. I made 9 A’s, 4 B’s and 3 C’s out of the 16 courses of both first and second semesters. My CGPA in first year was 4.46. So, I was left with the decision to either settle for 2.1 or aim first class.
I told God that I needed 13 A’s out of the 19 courses we were going to do in second year to enter first class. I had to up my games and was more intentional about everything I was doing.
Fortunately for me, I hit 15 A’s in second year and 4 B’s, which elevated me to 4.62. Again, I told God that I needed to enter 4.7 in third year so that it would be very difficult for me to fall from first class again. God did it and I had 16 A’s and 4 B’s out of the 20 courses in third year. That was how everything became a testimony.
What was your motivation?
Well, I had two major motivations. First was to actually make myself proud. Second was to make my family proud. I could recall, one of my uncles actually said I must promise him first class before he could give me a go ahead to study the course.
As someone who always wishes to make impacts wherever I find myself, I just told him that I was going to be among the best.
From the beginning, making first class was not my intention. As a novice before I gained admission, caused by the fact that I was born and bred in my village, and I also attended both primary and secondary school in my village. So, I thought that to study Theatre Arts, you don’t need to read to pass any exams. You will only be acting films with top Nollywood actors and actresses.
It was at the beginning of second year that I set my target to make a first class. At a point, everybody in my department was already counting on me not to disappoint them. So, I needed to count on myself.
To God be the glory say “people wey dey look up to me, head no pain dem in vain”.
Now, tell us,what was your brightest moment during your undergraduate years.
I actually had three brightest moments during my undergraduate years.
The first was the day I received a letter from the Vice Chancellor’s office, nominated me and one other guy from Biological Sciences, to represent UNN in the Royal African Young Innovators Award, organized by the Chancellor, Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to award 15 Best Students in Nigeria.
The second brightest moment was the day I won a National Theatre Award as the Best Publicity Manager in the Nigerian Theatre Students Award.
The third brightest moment was the day the Senate List came out and I bagged a first, and the only first class in my department.
What was your darkest moment?
My darkest moment was when I lost my younger and only brother, a week to my exams in third year. I was emotionally unavailable for any academic activities, but I must still do them. That was when I thought my GP was going to go down. Fortunately, that was the semester I had 5.0 GP.
How was your University education sponsored?
I was expecting this particular question though. Sincerely, how I scaled through financially during my undergraduate years was miraculous. In my first year, one of my uncles that agreed to support me, paid my school fees and house rent. One of step brothers (Ferdinand) paid my Acceptance Fee. I had few other persons that gave me a total of 18 Thousand Naira. After paying all the payables in first year, I was left with nothing. How I bought textbooks and fed were things of testimony. Special thanks to the occupants of the lodge I stayed in my first year.
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Fast forward to second year, God came through for me. I was receiving supports from every angles. Special thanks to my uncles, Mr Mike Chukwude, Mr Paulinus Aniekwe (BAWAYA), Mr Paulinus Munwereonye (PMC), My step brother, Ferdinand, and the family of Professor Ferdinand Obasi. These people were the tools God used to make the financial burden of my academic journey a thing of story.
Now that you have graduated with first class degree, what next for you?
This is a scary question. Well, I’m already into my next plan. To acquire tech skills while doing my Youths service, then apply for scholarship to do my masters abroad in Filmmaking, while leveraging on the skills I learnt to make money over there. The next step after this depends on the cash I have then, but I intend to go into acting full time or become a singer. Of course I know I can sing, and I’ve attended two shows, although in local stages.
Is first class for everybody?
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If first class was for everybody, then I wouldn’t have been the only first class graduate in my class.
Anybody can make a first class, but it’s not everyone that can pay the prices. But I learnt something during my journey to making this first class, and that is, “Not all success comes with HARDWORK and not all failure comes with LAZINESS”.
I won’t underestimate the power of God and His unflinching grace. There was a course I made an ‘A’ in it, when I thought I was going to have a ‘C’ or a ‘D’. It was a practical course. That’s why I will keep being proud of those lecturers that reward effort in practical courses. I missed the first stage of the practical exam, and by that, I won’t take the exam again as a director that I really wanted to be.
But I did not give up. I had to volunteer to act for four other directors, worked as props person for others etc. I shed tears of joy when I saw an ‘A’ in the result.
So, just like I said, anyone can make a first class, but only those who are willing to pay the price.
Apart from financial challenges, what other challenges did you have in your undergraduate years?
Apart from financial challenges (which only occurred in first year), I encountered series of other challenges, which include pressure, balancing my academic life with my social life, intimidation etc.
On pressure, it got to a point in my academic journey where everybody was expecting me to make a first class or face their eternal insults. I detest to work under pressure. At a point in my class, once a lecturer throws any questions to the class, some people would shout, “Paulinus, please answer the question.” Whether I knew the answer or not, I would always stand up to save my name and the reputation.
I also faced the challenge of combining my academic life and social life. I won’t say I was that popular, but I was known everywhere in my faculty. For this reason, I was also invited by people to grace their social activities or help out. Plus I have my own departmental social activities to participate in. I would always attend all these activities, and most times, I do breakdown, which often affect my reading culture.
Lastly, I was intimidated! Yes oo. By my fellow students. Sincerely, I was not very good expressing myself in public, nor did I have good command of English Language. In my first year, it took courage for me to even answer “present” in class. That was because, I had received insults for making a mess of English Language when I was asked a question. I took it personal to study my English textbooks very well. I had to buy 3 extra textbooks on English Language to learn more. By God’s grace, even though I’m still trying to improve my use of English, I can actually express myself in it.
Did you belong to any social, religious, political or cultural organizations?
I belonged to a social organisation known as HTC (HIP HOP, TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY) dance group. I also belonged to different student political organizations (ASA, FEWS, EWGA etc.) I have never been a religious person, so I did not belong to any. I did not join any cultural organisations because, the time I wanted to join, it was clashing with my school politics. So, I had to drop that of cultural, but I attended all the cultural ceremonies in my faculty.
Did you have any side hustle during your school years?
The only side hustle I had was writing assignments and project works for people. That was because, the nature of my department does not allow one to travel always. I travel twice to dance for money sha.
When exactly were you born?
I was born on 1 August, 1997.
What was your CGPA?
My CGPA finally ended at 4.68.
Recently, you sponsored some people in their education pursuits, what is this all about?
Well, that has been my sincere desire even while I was in school. If you know how God came through for me financially during my undergraduate years, you would understand. I see every act of kindness I receive from people as a challenge to do mine. I had the intention to pay someone’s school fees someday as people did for me. Doing it now as a serving corps member, with my allowance, is to more like testing my giving gesture when I have little.
I hope to do more in future when I’m financially stable. Sincerely, even the persons I sponsored did not feel the excitement the way I did for carrying out that project. The person that supported me in the project actually sent me another money after the project.
In his words, “Paulinus, it gladdens my heart that you would decide to sacrifice from the little you have. Take this one for yourself.” God will bless Iroakazi Ifeanyichukwu. The same day that he sent that money, I still have our 20% of it to an unknown sick man that came to ask for my help. Sincerely, I do not know this person, and that was my first day to meet him.
What gave you the passion to engage in such philanthropic gesture?
I think I answered it in the preceding question. I have an abiding belief that I owe another person something whenever I receive. In addition to that, it was a display of my sincere appreciation to God for sustaining me financially throughout my academic journey. I feel there are students out there who may not have people to sponsor them the way I was privileged to have.
Tell us more about your sponsorship by the Enugu state government you earlier mentioned.
As I rightly stated earlier, on 30th November, 2009, the then Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, awarded me, alongside my two other friends, scholarship from primary school to university level. The scholarship came after we read a poem for him titled, *”RENAISSANCE OF THE COAL CITY”, written by the former Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Chinedu O. Nebo, in appreciation of Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, for restoring the Coal City’s glory through good governance and service to his people. I could recall, the statement that came out of Barr. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime ‘s mouth was, “Take them to South Africa.”
The mammoth crowd that gathered that day were all clapping for him. I lost appetite for few hours because I was overwhelmed with joy. Sorry, this happened on the 30th of November, 2009. After that day, we did not hear anything about the scholarship until around July, 2012. That was three years after. I was already in JSS2. We were called to claim the money for the remaining sections in primary school.
Actually, they paid us Twenty-Five Thousand each (#25,000) for each session. We received that 25k for the remaining two sections in primary school, and Fifty Thousand Naira each (#50,000) two times for two sections in secondary school. So, the total money each of us received was One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#150,000).
The last time we received money from them, we were told that they have paid for the arears (From 2009-2013). They said that we should be expecting others as the years go by. It is worthy of note that they did not pay all this money at once. The last 50k we received was on 15 January, 2015. That was before the election that ushered in Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Therefore, the scholarship expired at our JSS2, after former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi resumed office in 2015. What happened is still a mystery to us.
Did you complain to the state government about the situation?
Yes
What was the response like?
We were asked to write a letter to his government. We did twice, but nothing happened
What is your advice to to the youths who have lost hope in Nigeria and future?
Well, I see no reason why a youth should lose hope in the future or Nigeria. Nigeria is not a bad country. Our problem is bad leadership. Just like the case of this our scholarship, I’m very certain that someone was sitting on that our money. Politics is just one institution in this country. There is business, sports, entertainment, agriculture, etc. The youths shouldn’t be looking up to these our leaders for any future.
Thank God for technology. There are so many digital skills that pay very well now. Just look for a way to learn one. I was once against Nigeria as a country, but when I began to read and follow situations in this country, I discovered that it was not Nigeria, but Nigerian leaders.
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To the youths out there, the future is still for us. It is high time we understood this popular saying, “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow.” That aphorism has high meaning on the side of ‘our age and the opportunities we have to do things’. Not actually the tomorrow we know. Finally, just know that as long as you continue to do what you do diligently, consisting and innovatively, the future is still there waiting for you.