Saheed Sunday, a fresh graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), has earned a First Class Honours degree from the Department of English, a faculty widely known for rarely awarding top grades. He finished as the Best Graduating Student, breaking a record that had seen only three first-class graduates in the department's 40-year history.
Orientation Revelation Shattered Confidence
Writing on LinkedIn in August 2026, Saheed recounted joining the Department of English at LASU on 4 July 2022, full of confidence built on consistent A grades throughout secondary school. That confidence did not survive his first orientation.
During the Freshers' Orientation, a senior student casually mentioned that only three people had ever graduated with a first-class from the department across LASU's entire 40-year history. Saheed did the rough calculation: with roughly 400 students graduating from the department each year, he put his own odds at approximately 1 in 5,000.
Where most of his coursemates found the figure motivating, Saheed found it crushing. He admitted the news contributed to what became his second-worst semester at the university, where he recorded a 4.50 grade point out of a possible 5.0.
Mindset Shift From Privilege and Chance
The shift, as Saheed later worked out, came from something deeply personal. He reflected on the reality that for people from underprivileged backgrounds, life had already been shaped by circumstances beyond their control long before university began. Chance had already played its hand in determining what he lacked growing up, and he had not been consulted.
That realisation became the engine behind everything that followed. He read more, shared what he learned by teaching others, entered more competitions, and applied himself more rigorously to both his academic results and extracurricular commitments. The First Class and the Best Graduating Student title were the outcome.
In his LinkedIn post, Saheed credited God, his family, his circle of supportive people, and even the senior who delivered the sobering statistics at orientation, saying that moment had at least made him aware of how steep the climb would be.
Public Reactions and Related Stories
His story drew warm responses on LinkedIn. Aderonke Agunbiade said: "3 people in 40 years? Hearty congratulations to you." Uko Idara stated: "Congratulations. I'd be taking the line where you wrote about not allowing chances which had already determined your background to determine the outcome of your life." Nancy Nwogu added: "There's no luxury offering our success to chances when our lack of privileges have already been determined by chances. I have no more to give to chance. Thank you for sharing your story here scholar and congratulations on your great feat." Sesan Adesida commented: "Congratulations! Always remember: impossibility is a farce. What appears impossible today may simply be waiting for courage, persistence and the right approach."
In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan, while another graduate staged a one-man protest over unemployment. Legit.ng previously reported that LASU's best graduating student opened up about her admission experience, sharing her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals in an interview with the outlet.
