By Ado Oyeyemi
A First Class graduate of Lagos State University, Saheed Sunday, has attributed his academic feat to discipline, teaching others and surrounding himself with people who shared his commitment to excellence.
Sunday, who graduated from the Department of English during the 2025/2026 academic session with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.59 on a five point scale, said being the first person in his family to attend university motivated him to take his studies seriously.
He made this known in an exclusive interview with Tribune Newspaper, where he also revealed that his interest in English was inspired by his secondary school teacher, Mr Babatunde Sanyaolu.
According to him, Sanyaolu identified his potential at a time when he was not particularly serious about his education and helped him develop an interest in English, poetry, public speaking and academic competitions.
Sunday said, “In 100 level, the only thing that mattered to me was that I was the first person in my family to ever attend a university. But my very first result made me realise that would not automatically translate to academic success, so I had to take my academics more seriously.”
He explained that rather than repeatedly reading his books, he adopted a strategy of studying until he could teach what he had learnt, saying the approach helped him identify areas where he needed further understanding.
The graduate also disclosed that he developed a grammatical formula as his final year project to help people understand the structure and meaning of Nigerian spoken word poetry.
He said the project was inspired by concerns about the perception that poetry was inaccessible to many people.
Sunday said his academic journey did not prevent him from pursuing his passion for literature, noting that he published two poetry collections while studying at LASU, with one published in Nigeria and the other in Canada.
He described one of his major achievements as having his book recommended as a compulsory text for his course, adding that he subsequently had to write an examination based on his own work.
On the relevance of studying English, Sunday said the course could provide opportunities across different sectors, noting that he began earning money as an editor while still an undergraduate.
He said his long term ambition was to use language, teaching, public speaking and advocacy to help people become more confident in expressing themselves.
The LASU graduate, who said he hopes to pursue a master’s degree in Literature in English, identified the University of Cambridge as his preferred institution for further studies.
Reflecting on how he combined academics with extracurricular activities, Sunday said maintaining a close circle of people with similar values played an important role in his success.
He disclosed that he belonged to a group of intellectually inclined students in the Department of English known as the “Savants of English,” with whom he organised tutorials, held academic discussions and explored issues beyond their classroom lessons.
He also participated in the LASU Debate Society, saying the experience exposed him to some of the best public speakers and poets on campus.
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Sunday advised students struggling to balance academic work and other activities to surround themselves with people who share their values, saying, “If there is one piece of advice I would give anyone struggling right now, it is to keep a circle of people who share your values.
