1. Can you take us through your academic journey? Your early education particularly.

I attended Preston International School for my secondary school education. Interestingly, I didn’t start at Preston, my first secondary school was located at Benin City, but I only spent a year there before moving to Preston. In hindsight, probably one of the best decisions I ever made. Preston’s training was perfect in many ways, there was emphasis on hardwork and there was reward for it. We had prize-giving days at the end of every term, and so you get used to receiving plaudits and getting celebrated after intense work. I believe that shaped my mentality. I developed the “nothing but the best” mentality, and because of the Christian background of my school, it was also “being the best, while doing it the right way.”

 

I would eventually graduate from Preston, I finished with straight A’s in my WAEC exams, I won awards as the best student in Nigeria in two subjects out of the 6 I undertook in the Cambridge IGCSE exams. Those were huge feats. I was the first to hit that level in my school. I remember the award ceremony at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos in 2017. I was probably the only one that won that award in more than one subject. Now that I think about it, it was like a foreshadow of what was to come 7 years later.

 

I attended Benson Idahosa University, finished with a 4.92 CGPA, missed out on the Valedictorian award with a 0.07 margin, I attended the law school and of course, best student in 3 out of the 5 courses, best overall male student and 2nd best overall. You don’t maintain this level of consistency if your mentality isn’t forged in a certain type of way. Its relentless really, always demanding high standards of yourself, I like it however and I am used to it, so yea, that’s pretty much it for my academic journey.

 

 

2. Did you always know you were going to study law? Was there an influence of any sort?

I didn’t always know. Studying law was an interesting story. I was at Preston in JSS2 through till SS3. I was the best overall student for 6 terms in a row, from JSS2-JSS3. Moving into SS1, everyone then expected me to go into the science class, but I just did not want to. Again, it was a new thing because it never happened that the best student in the year group would go to the Art class.

 

Its interesting narrating it now but in the moment then, it was not easy. There is nobody who didn’t give me advice then, no teacher who didn’t speak to me. I just wanted to be a lawyer. (I should add that it wasn’t a fear of mathematics issue, I got As in math in every exam I took). I probably did not have a strong enough reason then; it was more of my gut and deciding that I really wanted to be a lawyer. There was no particular influence at the time. I am eternally grateful to God that I stuck with my guts.

 

3. Generally, how was university for you? Was there a level or a course from any of the levels you found particularly difficult? How did you get past it/them

I had a normal university experience. I can’t say any level or course was particularly difficult because it just wasn’t. I was on a 5.0 GPA from 100-400 level. I did have some issues with a few lecturers, but then, everyone experiences that. It was just about using wisdom and tact to navigate those relationship issues.

 

4. We have heard news of how you were in your university choir and on the football team, how were you able to manage these with your pursuit of academic excellence?

Preston trained us to become “all-rounded” students, meaning, you weren’t just a brilliant student, but also a student who was active in sports, music and all of that. I was used to that lifestyle of combining responsibility, so it was not a problem. Obviously, University is more difficult because the workload is more, you have personal issues as well. In my final year, I was a leader in the choir, was one of the senior players in the school team, was the school of advocacy president in the faculty. It was draining really.

 

The answer to managing everything properly  is really just time management. There is no magic formula I can give. It really is about just making sure that everything gets the time it needs.

 

5. I imagine the first couple of weeks at the Law school must have put you on your toes, amidst the entire new people, new environment, and new system chaos. How did you maneuver these and eventually settle-in?

Law school is interesting, to put it simply. It is draining as well. I was at the Lagos Campus so you can imagine how intense it was. The content wasn’t particularly difficult, but it needed getting used to. For the first few weeks, I wasn’t doing the right thing, I wasn’t reading the right way. In truth, it was till a few weeks before externship that I finally realized the best strategy and system to work with and from then on, I flew.

 

To answer the question, I had to think about the strategy to adopt several times. I stopped reading certain things. I started paying more attention to certain things. I advise people as well that you have to do self-reflection. You need to think properly on the way and manner you want to go about reading. It is not enough to simply spend long hours consuming information. Law school demands precision, so please, discuss with people, seniors and your colleagues, understand how they are going about it, take tips from them and contextualize it to your personal strengths.

 

6. Compared to what you were used to at your university, was Law school a lot more different? Academic-wise, did you have to replan your study routine?

Of course, it was way more demanding. For starters, I didn’t work with a summary note when reading at the University. I would just read my notes and the textbooks and that would be it. At law school, I found out that I needed a summary note because the content was too much. I realized this close to the beginning of externship, and I then started re-reading and summarizing again, which reiterates my point about discovering the right system to use in reading.

 

At university, I didn’t read everyday in the semester, but of course, Law school is different gravy and it required an enormous amount of effort. So yes, Law school is different.

 

7. There are always talks about how overwhelming the workload at Law school can be, were you able to keep up with extracurriculars with all that? Tell us all about your experience.

To be fair, my schedule at law school was straightforward. It was class, siesta, reading. My weekends however were largely spent in church because I was in the choir at church. So perhaps that. It was stressful to be honest, because the week is usually very hectic and you need to rest weekend and have more time to read but I then had to be at church for a significant part of Saturday and Sunday.

 

Yea, but its time management. I am not the longest reader. I like to tell people that I find the least stressful way to do something, I just needed to do a bit of self-reflection and I found out how best to navigate the demands.

 

8. How best to answer bar questions?

I get asked this question a lot, and while there are many good takes from various people, the core advice I can give is that you need to be detailed and exhaustive in your responses, but not to the point of going overboard. More particularly, you also have to approach it course by course. My approach was usually different in each course.

 

For example, in Property Law, you need to give all the variations of the answer when analyzing. Using the IRAC method is key, but in your analysis, you should also explain what would happen if several variables change. The more exhaustive you are in considering different scenarios, the better.

 

In Corporate Law, and to an extent civil litigation, where it's mostly procedural, drafts and accompanying processes and documents, the answers tend to be more straightforward. You stick to the required steps and key documents, keeping it concise and clear.

 

For Professional Ethics, while it’s important to be detailed, you have to strike a balance by giving every relevant piece of information without overwhelming the examiner with unnecessary details.

 

In Criminal Law, depending on the question, your response should typically start by stating whether the action is proper or not, before delving into the answer.

 

Ultimately, please listen to your lecturers as they provide valuable insight into how best to tackle the questions.

 

9. What did it take for you to succeed in such a competitive and challenging environment?

God in the most part, a combination of good strategy, natural brilliance, steely mentality, unrelenting drive, and self-belief in the other part.

 

10. From your childhood till present, what has been the driving force behind your commitment to your studies and academic success?

It is the mentality really; I like the challenge. There is no particular motivation other than the fact that I enjoy the challenge, the intrigue of the difficulty and how I feel after surmounting it. I remember my answer to an interviewer when I was asked if I could work under pressure. I told her that I prefer to play in the deep ends with the sharks than to be on the periphery, simply because the deep end is where the highest level of skill and dexterity is required. She reminded me of my words recently, and that’s how I have always been. The challenge really of maintaining consistency and the joy of proving to myself I can do it are what drives me.

 

11. It is traditionally believed that a person has to have their nose buried in a book 100% of the time to excel academically with little to no regard for other aspects of their lives. Given how far you have come, do you think this necessarily applies today? What is your general opinion on that?

Like I already mentioned, I have a life, I do a lot of other things. As far as you plan your time properly, you will be fine. Also, this depends on individual strengths. Some people need more time to read while others don’t. If you are in the former, there really is no shame there. By all means, immerse yourself as much as possible in your books.

 

12.“I follow my course with the precision and security of a sleepwalker.” Can you give us an insight into the meaning this holds to you? Does it, perhaps, have anything to do with the values and principles you live by? Can you share these values with us?

 

Lol, I really love talking about those words. Historians believe Adolf Hitler said this during the reoccupation of the Rhineland, a militarized zone by Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. It is a paradox, a beautiful paradox.

 

A sleepwalker remains undeterred by obstacles in their physical path. Likewise, a person with unwavering determination isn't easily swayed by doubts or setbacks. They possess a laser-like focus, a precision in their actions, their minds fixed on the desired outcome. 

 

The analogy goes beyond focus. The sense of "security" represents a certainty about the outcome, a belief in the occurrence of your goals. A sleepwalker, in their dreamlike state, seems to possess an inherent knowledge of their destination. It isn't blind optimism, but rather a conviction built on careful planning, a thorough understanding of the challenges, and a deep well of self-belief. It's the unwavering trust that, even if the path ahead is unclear, the destination will be reached. That confidence in the inevitability of the outcome. That’s what those words mean to me.

 

 

13. Do you think having a mentor/role model can be considered a key influence on development on one’s academic journey?

You need insights and perspective on your journey, obviously, it is wise to ask questions from people that have gone ahead of you. So yes, having a mentor helps.

 

14. What do you think sets a top-tier Law student apart from an average one? How did you strive to incorporate those qualities in yourself and how would you encourage others to do same?

There is God’s grace involved because the truth is, people work hard. As smart as you may be, it is God’s grace that you pick and retain things faster than others.

 

Also, it is the mentality, and also strategy. There is a hunger, a relentlessness that top guys have. It is difficult to explain really, you have to be around these people to understand their thought process. There is this desire to just be outstanding. I add strategy because it is very important as well. It is not enough to just spend hours and hours doing the wrong thing or adopting the wrong approach, in this context reading. The top guys know the right and many times the least stressful way of getting the job done. There is a precision about how they go about their reading and work generally.

 

I don’t think I did anything specific to inculcate those traits, these things are usually built in fragments, in bits, after self-reflection, inspiration from an idol etc, In time, you just become fully formed, armed with a resolve and mindset of consistent excellence. Correspondingly, I cannot state any specific act that one can do to inculcate these things. What I can say is, just start. Place a demand on yourself for excellence as a student and self-reflect on habits that may need to be dropped. In time, if you are serious enough, you start seeing the fruits.

 

 

15. There must have been days things didn’t go as planned. Can you describe some of the challenges you faced on your path to academic success and how you overcame them?

In truth, God has been very kind to me. I have not had to go through financial challenges or serious issues. I broke my leg sometime at the university, but thankfully, the timing was such that it didn’t affect my school calendar too much. There were times I doubted myself, you feel like you aren’t good enough and all of that, and those moments can stress you and detract from your efficiency. That’s where having a strong mentality and perseverance comes in, you just keep on grinding, and trusting that everything will come good. It usually does.

 

16. What advice would you give to students who are struggling with lack of motivation or burnouts in their academic pursuit?

I understand, I really do. But, like how I see these things, there is no other way. At least, if you really want those high grades, there is no other way than rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done. If you are feeling discouraged, tired, burnt-out etc; I understand. Get a hug, talk to your friend, get some encouragement, and keep on going. There is no other way. 

 

17. Do you have any words you want to leave us with?

Dear Highflyer, keep on doing what you are doing. It’s going to be worth it eventually, I assure you.