Miracle Akubuo
The best graduating student of the department of Guidance and Counseling, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ndubuka Obedience Chinaza has revealed his plans to impact society through the knowledge acquired as a graduate of Guidance and Counseling in the university.
Obedience, who hails from Abia state, Nigeria, was awarded the best student in his department with 4.53 CGPA in the just-concluded convocation held at the Olusegun Obasanjo hall of the school on Dec 9, 2023.
In an interview with The Harbinger, Obedience affirmed that his experience in secondary school motivated him to study Guidance and Counseling in the university.
He explained that being a witness to different activities such as drug use and other irrelevant behaviors among students in his school prompted him to study the course in a bid to change the narrative.
He further expressed his joy as the best student in his faculty despite the odds circling around him during his stay in school and towards achieving his goal.
“I was super excited when I was called out as the best student in my department. It was not an easy feat at all because there were so many sacrifices I made to achieve this aim. I am so happy and thankful to God that all my efforts towards achieving it were not wasted in vain.”
Explaining how he survived and coped in school despite various challenges, he said, “Well, this has always been one of my primary focuses—to graduate as one of the best students in my department. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy because there are so many bright minds in my class, I believed and trusted I could achieve it with the help of God.”
“One of my best motivators has been my family. Actually, I am not from a very affluent family. Knowing how my parents struggled to meet the payment of the school fees kept me pushing and striving. I thought about how my parents would be paying such a huge amount, and they wouldn’t see evidence. This motivated me to work very hard and make my parents proud of me and also uplift myself and my family.”
He noted that before anyone could do anything exceptional, they must be an exceptional person—determined, consistent, follow the right people, and, most importantly, be prayerful.
When asked how he coped with reading time and lecturers’ marking guides, he said, “I was focused on achieving my aim.
During semester breaks before leaving for home, I made sure to get all the necessary materials I needed to study. I would start studying those materials at home. So, when I resume back to school, I will be doing more revision and research. I tried to upgrade myself by reading beyond those materials within my reach.”
“Meanwhile, I tried to build a reading culture that fit into my personality. I don’t normally read at night; I normally read in the evening from around 4 to 10 o’clock every day. I ensure that I stop any form of interaction or activities when it is 4 o’clock and resume at my reading table,” he said.
About coping with lecturers’ guidelines, he advised students to know what their various lecturers need and how best to answer their questions. “Some students fail because they don’t yield to instructions. Aside from that, students should know how to approach questions sensitively and according to the lecturer’s requirements. Above all, you need prayer, because some lecturers do mark recklessly and carelessly. You have to do your best and involve God in it.”
Obedience further advised students to believe in themselves, be determined, focused, and prayerful. “My advice for students is to know where they are coming from and heading to. While being focused, one must be able to identify his or her distraction and stab the distraction.”
On how he will impact his knowledge on society, he said, “You know, Guidance and Counseling are like life itself. It’s where we live, and everywhere you go, you will see people, and where you see people, you exercise Guidance and Counseling.”
“Like I said, the main reason why I studied this course is to help students in school who find it difficult. Many students are out there confused about what to become and study in school, those with misbehaving acts. I want to change the narrative of such students through Guidance and Counseling.”
“Through various counseling skills like psychotherapy, Classical theory, and behavioral modification theory learned in school, I have started offline visitations from one school to another to help students who need help. But now, I am working towards creating awareness on social media by creating a platform where people will be able to reach out to me for counseling,” he said.
However, explaining how he assisted his parents with the financial burden, he urged students not to be too dependent on their parents but to try to do little things to support them financially. “Most times, there would be no foodstuffs or money with me. Most times when I call my parents for money, they would ask me to be patient. But to survive in these difficult times, I would help people with assignments and tutorials and get paid after,” he concluded.
