A Nigerian man has shared a deeply distressing account of how he spent eight years studying law at a university, only to leave without the academic certificate he worked for. The man, identified as Adewale, revealed his painful experience in a viral TikTok video, highlighting systemic issues that left him and other students in academic limbo.
The Beginning of an Eight-Year Ordeal
Adewale's academic journey was fraught with challenges from the start. He explained that his first year was largely unproductive due to an industrial strike action, a common disruption in the Nigerian university system. His set was subsequently merged with another, and they continued their studies. The major crisis, however, began when they were in their 300 level.
The institution, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), transitioned its fees payment portal from a system known as 'Record Soft' to the 'OOU Portal'. According to Adewale, this critical change was not properly communicated to the students. Under the old system, students could pay 60% of their fees initially and settle the remaining 40% later. When the portal changed, the 60% payments they had already made seemingly vanished in the transition.
"We were not even informed. We just got information that we have to pay into another portal. And by that time, our 60% that we have paid was nowhere to be found, so we couldn't write exams. From there, the problem started," Adewale recounted. This administrative failure led to many of his classmates being unable to register for exams, forcing most of them to abandon their studies altogether.
Years of Struggle and Ultimate Rejection
Despite the portal issues, Adewale persevered. He continued attending classes, paying fees, and writing examinations for a total of eight years. However, at the end of this long and expensive journey, the university refused to issue him his law degree certificate. Shockingly, the school eventually informed him that he was no longer recognized as their student.
In a desperate attempt to resolve the situation, Adewale wrote numerous letters to various authorities within the university administration. All his efforts proved futile, leaving him with nothing to show for nearly a decade of dedication and financial investment. "I spent 8 years and the school refused to give me my certificate. I studied law," he stated with palpable pain.
Public Reaction and Shared Experiences
The video, posted on the TikTok account @yomilistens, sparked a flood of sympathetic and angry reactions from Nigerians who shared similar experiences, particularly with the same institution.
- @Mhiz-blessing commented: "OOU is fond of doing that I was a victim of this issue when I was in my final year too."
- @Prince Adetutu appealed directly to the school: "OOU management, kindly help this guy resolve his case pls for God sake."
- @PRISCY-O shared her own delay: "I can never forget OOU, I had to wait 4 years to be given my certificate, graduated 2021 did my Nysc 2025."
- @New Eden Technology revealed a similar fate led to them giving up: "Omor I had the same exact experience too I rewrite, paid and visit many offices but nothing come forth for like 3 years I just had to let it go... It made me loose interest."
These reactions point to a broader pattern of administrative and systemic failures affecting students' futures.
Adewale's story is a stark reminder of the human cost of institutional negligence in Nigeria's higher education sector. It raises serious questions about student management systems, fee transparency, and the ultimate accountability of universities to the students who invest their time, hopes, and resources into obtaining an education. His eight-year struggle for a law degree, ending in empty hands, is a call for urgent reform.
