Francis Olusegun, the University of Ilorin’s (UNILORIN) best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session, who made history with a perfect 5.00 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) from Department of Mathematics, has revealed how he sacrificed relationships, reduced extracurricular engagements and developed a personal structure to achieve his academic ambition.
For Olusegun, the journey to academic excellence was not simply about reading for long hours or possessing exceptional intelligence. It involved making difficult choices, knowing when to withdraw from competing interests and developing a study approach that worked for him.
In an interview with the Mathematics graduate from Ogbomoso, Oyo State, opened up about the sacrifices behind his achievement, his determination to become the university’s overall best graduating student, the role of his family in his academic journey and his plans for postgraduate studies. One of the most striking revelations was his admission that he had to put relationships aside to concentrate on his studies, although he declined to disclose the reasons behind the decision.
Asked whether he had sacrificed relationships to achieve his academic goal, Olusegun said: “Let me say yes, I had to put relationship aside. I won’t tell you the reason why. I don’t want to give any controversial answers.”
His response offered a glimpse into the personal choices he considered necessary to achieve his ambition, even as he maintained discretion about the circumstances surrounding the decision.
The sacrifices extended beyond relationships to his social life and extracurricular activities. Olusegun disclosed that he was involved in several interests outside academics but eventually had to reduce some of his commitments to protect his academic priorities.
Explaining how he managed his interests, he said: “I do not do too many things at the same time. I am not a very social person, and I have interests in many things, but when they conflict, I have to drop some of them.”
He explained that his involvement in Junior Chamber International (JCI) and Minddrive began in his third year, while he participated in animal welfare activities in his fourth year. He also had interests in sports and technology but had to make difficult decisions about the activities he could continue.
According to him, students should not attempt to do everything at once but should concentrate on activities that support their ambitions.
“My own take is just don’t do plenty things, just do few that will complement what you want to achieve. If it is leadership, take leadership. If it is volunteering, take volunteering. I did some volunteering too. So, just do few things that really count,” he said.
His advice reflects the importance of prioritisation rather than the outright abandonment of extracurricular activities. For students juggling academics, social relationships, leadership responsibilities and other interests, Olusegun’s experience suggests that knowing what to pursue and what to temporarily set aside can make a significant difference.
‘I Had to Build My Own Structure’
Beyond the sacrifices he made, Olusegun attributed his academic success to developing a personal structure that guided his decisions and helped him remain focused on his long-term objective.
He cautioned students against assuming that discipline alone would guarantee academic excellence without a clear understanding of their individual goals and the practical steps required to achieve them.
Explaining what he considered the foundation of his success, he said: “Your personal structure just contains who you are, what you have been doing, everything about you, where you are coming from, where you are going, everything about you and what you are doing. That’s your personal structure.”
He continued: “Then, there’s academic principles. Academic principles are things that are common to everybody. They’ll tell you to be serious, to be disciplined, to be consistent, but if you don’t have your personal structure, no matter how disciplined you are, it will still be like a waste.”
For Olusegun, the distinction lies between general principles that apply to everyone and a personalised approach that takes individual circumstances into account.
He argued that students must first understand themselves, their goals and their present circumstances before applying general principles of academic success.
“First, when you apply principles on yourself, you have to know what you want first, then you can apply principles on it,” he said.
The graduate’s approach underscores the importance of having a clear destination before deciding on the most effective route to reach it.
Why He Abandoned a Rigid Study Timetable
Olusegun also revealed that his approach to studying was flexible rather than tied to a rigid timetable. He said he was willing to change his reading methods whenever he discovered that a particular strategy was no longer effective.
Asked whether he followed a strict study timetable, he explained that he preferred to assess his performance and adjust his methods instead of continuing with an approach that was not producing the desired results.
“My reading system is very flexible. I don’t believe in one particular way. Once I carry a structure or a way of doing things, and it’s not working again, I quickly improve it. I read after class. I believe in consistency,” he said.
He further explained that his study approach involved revisiting what he had learnt in class and making sure he understood the material rather than relying exclusively on a predetermined reading schedule.
“After we are done with the class, I try to go through what we have done, but it’s not really realistic to say you want to be going through what you have done in class every day. Sometimes you can’t meet up with the schedule,” he said.
Explaining how he responded when his plans became difficult to maintain, he added: “So what I do is, once something is not working for me again, I throw it away. If I create a timetable and it’s not working, I switch to another one. So my flexibility is the key, and my consistency.”
His approach offers a practical lesson for students who struggle to follow rigid study schedules. Rather than abandoning their academic ambitions when a particular method fails, he encouraged an approach that allows room for adjustments while maintaining consistency.
From a First-Year 5.00 CGPA to a Long-Held Ambition
Olusegun disclosed that his ambition to become UNILORIN’s overall best graduating student had been developing since 2019.
He explained that seeing reports of outstanding graduates from other universities inspired him to set a similarly ambitious target for himself.
His determination grew stronger after he recorded a perfect 5.00 CGPA in his first year, making the possibility of graduating with the same result more tangible.
Asked whether he had always believed he could become the university’s best graduating student, he explained that he initially wanted to stretch himself and test the limits of what he could achieve.
“I thought, if it was possible, I could stretch myself and go for it. Everyone can have a first-class but it’s not my original target. I wanted to be the overall best graduating student,” he said.
He added that after achieving a 5.00 in his first year, the possibility of graduating with a perfect CGPA became real to him.
“I thought, if I wanted to graduate as the overall best, why not do it with a 5.00?” he said.
The graduate maintained that he did not score below 70 in any course throughout his academic journey, a record that reflects the consistency he said he brought to his studies.
For Olusegun, the achievement was the fulfilment of a goal he had pursued over several years, supported by a willingness to make difficult choices and continually improve his approach to learning.
‘Mathematics Has Always Been My First Love’
Olusegun also spoke about his choice of Mathematics, a discipline he said had always fascinated him despite the difficulties many students encounter with the subject.
Asked why he chose Mathematics when many students find it difficult, he explained that his interest in the subject began early and influenced his decision to study it at university.
“Mathematics has always been my first love. There’s a sync between me and the course. I can study any course as far as it’s Science, but when it’s Science, I’m always into it. But Mathematics, I just loved the course so much,” he said.
He explained that he had considered other academic options but remained drawn to Mathematics because of his personal connection with the discipline.
“I would have studied Engineering because if you like Mathematics, you can study Engineering, Physics. But there’s just a strong connection between me and the course,” he added.
His account suggests that an individual’s genuine interest in a subject can provide motivation to persist through its challenges, particularly when academic demands become difficult.
He also acknowledged that Mathematics could be challenging, especially when students encountered unfamiliar concepts, but maintained that understanding the subject required sustained engagement and a willingness to work through difficult problems.
The Role of Family Support in His Journey
While Olusegun’s account highlights personal discipline and sacrifice, he also acknowledged the contribution of his family to his academic journey.
He said his parents had supported his education and helped provide the conditions that enabled him to pursue his academic ambitions.
Recalling the encouragement he received, he said: “My parents did not have tertiary education; their highest level of education was secondary school. My uncle and elder sister were among the few people who understood my academic standing.”
He explained that encouragement from family members and people who believed in his potential helped strengthen his determination.
“Most of the motivation came from me. I also received encouragement from a few scholars in the university and people in my church,” he said.
The graduate added that his family had continued to support him throughout his academic journey, expressing appreciation for the people who stood by him as he worked towards his goal.
His experience highlights how personal determination and encouragement from others can work together in the pursuit of academic excellence.
His Advice to Students Battling Low CGPAs
Olusegun urged students struggling with poor academic performance to identify the causes of their difficulties, seek appropriate guidance and adopt practical strategies to improve.
He advised students not to assume that their current academic challenges were permanent but to examine their circumstances and identify where changes were needed.
“First thing, have your personal structure. That’s the mistake that people make. Have your own way of doing things,” he said.
He explained that students needed to understand their individual circumstances before deciding how best to address their academic challenges.
“The first thing is to sit down and identify where the problem is coming from, what is causing the problem, then you look up to mentors, scholars or people you look up to. Explain your situation to them so they can help identify the problem and suggest possible solutions,” he said.
He added that seeking help should be followed by practical action.
“Once you have possible solutions, apply them. But the first thing is to be interested in improving your results,” he said.
The advice places responsibility on students to take an active role in understanding their academic difficulties rather than continuing with ineffective habits or allowing disappointing results to discourage them.
Plans for Postgraduate Studies
Looking beyond his undergraduate achievement, Olusegun said he intends to pursue a master’s degree abroad and may subsequently proceed to a doctorate. He disclosed that he was considering fields such as Mathematical Biology and Mathematical Epidemiology, which apply mathematical techniques to biological processes, infectious diseases and public health challenges.
Explaining his plans, he said: “My next step is to pursue a master’s degree abroad. In five years, I may be doing my PhD or may have completed it. It depends on the programme I pursue.”
He said he was interested in applying mathematics to real-world problems, particularly those related to infectious diseases and public health.
“I could work with public health organisations, or I could work with one abroad. If I pursue a programme in Mathematical Epidemiology, I will also be working in the health field because epidemiology deals with diseases,” he explained.
His ambition reflects a desire to extend his mathematical training beyond the classroom and explore how the discipline can contribute to addressing public health challenges. For students aspiring to excel academically, Olusegun’s story offers a motivating lesson about the value of clear goals, consistency, adaptability and deliberate choices.
His perfect 5.00 CGPA is the culmination of an ambition he had nurtured for years. Yet, as his own words reveal, the journey was shaped not only by academic effort but also by the personal structure he developed, the distractions he chose to limit and the willingness to change his methods whenever they stopped working.
His message to students is clear: ambition provides direction, but achieving it requires a deliberate plan, sustainesd commitment and the courage to make difficult choices along the way.