Ilorin-born Scholar, Zubair Aishat Agbarere, has shared the story of her academic breakthrough after graduating with First Class Honours from the Department of Biology Education, Federal University Kashere, Gombe State.
This medium reports that she finished with a CGPA of 4.52 despite coming from a less privileged background.
In an exclusive interview with Dailysource, Aishat Agbarere described her academic journey as “extremely rough,” largely due to financial constraints as she is from a less privileged family.
She revealed that she supported herself and her family by engaging in petty entrepreneurship, particularly a small provisions business, to ease her parents’ burden.
She explained that she paid ₦40,000 in her first year as registration, school fees, and acceptance fees combined, before the fees dropped to ₦28,000 in 200 Level.
The Scholar however recounted that the situation worsened when she resumed 300 Level to find out that the fees had risen sharply to ₦100,000, a nearly 400% increase.
She remembered when she called her father tearfully when heard of the new fees as her father was shocked but still worked hard to pay in instalments.
Agbarere posited that her passion for education began in childhood, inspired by her father, who is a teacher as this early influence shaped her ambition to become a teacher or lecturer and motivated her to study Education.
She expressed disappointment that despite being encouraged that First Class graduates were often retained as lecturers, she was not offered a teaching position after her graduation.
The First Class graduate attributed her success to hard work, prayer, and discipline. From her 100 Level days.
Aishat Agbarere maintained that she was occupied with a demanding study schedule as she attended classes from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a tutorial from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and then studied in the university library from 8 p.m. until closing at 10 p.m.
Her determination was evident from the start, she earned a 4.67 GPA in her first semester and a 4.57 CGPA at the end of her first year. She described many nights as “Till Day Break” (TDB), studying from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. without relying on energy drinks, which many of her peers used to stay awake.
Aishat Agbarere expressed deep gratitude to her parents for their support and sacrifices.
Her story continues to inspire students across the state, highlighting resilience, sacrifice, and the power of determination in overcoming educational barriers.
