Okanna Okim, who graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.84 from the Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, tells ALEXANDER OKERE how determination and focus helped her to achieve a major feat at the university and moved her closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer
How did your academic foundation play a role in what you achieved in the university?
I was always that star kid. I had stellar results in kindergarten, nursery school and primary school. I know this because my dad is very good at keeping records. I was the best in my junior secondary school and in my senior secondary school as well. As a matter of fact, I was the best graduating student from my secondary school, Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Grammar School.
How did you arrive at law as your choice of a course of study? Was it your idea or was it based on consultation and advice from your parents?
When I was a child, I said I wanted to be a lawyer just because I loved the court dress. That desire lasted until my secondary school, particularly after JSS 3 when I had to choose whether to go to a science class, art class or commercial class. I had to reevaluate why I really wanted to study law. It was then that I realised that I wanted to be a lawyer so I could defend people’s rights and advocate what is right. My teachers then in secondary school, especially my school counsellor, wanted me to join a science class because I was very good in the sciences but I insisted on an art class as that was how I could become a lawyer. Right now, it all makes sense because I am passionate about women’s rights and I understand women’s rights better having studied law.
Was it easy securing admission at university?
It was easy for me even though I didn’t expect it to be. The computer assigned to me went off and submitted my University Tertiary Matriculation Examination before I could finish. I had about 50 questions unanswered but I still scored 262.
How did that make you feel, considering that you had rejected science just to study law?
I thought I would not make it through and dejectedly, I took Post-UTME and scored 268. Being a very competitive course, I somewhat gave up but I got admitted eventually. I consider it a gift from God and in line with God’s plan for my life.
What were the things you set out to achieve in your first year and how did you achieve them?
I just wanted to be a good student. The first thing I heard from my senior colleagues when I got into the faculty was that it was impossible to make a first class and that no one had ever made it. I was not even particular about making a first class until my first year second semester. I only just wanted to give my best to my studies. I live in Lagos and went to school in Uyo and as my dad would say, I was in Uyo for one purpose and that was to study.
It is generally believed that success comes with hard work. Were there things you had to sacrifice to stay on track?
I am a person of many facets. I am good at multitasking and so I didn’t need to sacrifice so many things. I played school politics. I actively did extracurricular activities. The only thing that I had to let go off sometimes was sleep. I shed so much weight in my first year that I still haven’t been able to get back. Now, I have learnt to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Did such sacrifices affect your relationship with people around you?
I have very robust relationships with people around me. I believe relationships are God-given and should be protected. They matter more than gold and silver or any achievement one can think of.
Did you have any intimate or romantic relationship as an undergraduate?
I had none.
If not, why?
I was close to many guys. I even had a male best friend but nothing serious. There’s no reason attached to it. It just didn’t happen. I actually have no problem with people dating in the university. It doesn’t impede success. Time management is all one needs.
What type of friends did you keep as an undergraduate?
I am a strong believer in Christ Jesus. My inner circle is one of fervent believers in Christ. I had other not-so-close friends too and I still have them as friends. There’s no qualification for being my friend. As long as you’re a human being, I’m open to friendship.
Some believe successful people must move with successful people, especially as it has to do with relationships. Do you agree with that?
What is success? What we define as success might be faulty. No one is entirely successful. We are all striving towards achieving balanced lives and giving back our best to the other people. Successful people, using the word loosely, don’t have to move with successful people. We must try to lift other people up by entering their spaces and turning their world around with our flavour.
What was your recipe for focus as a law student?
That’s a long story but I’ll try to cut it short. My watchword was excellence and that means I would not rest until I had a full grasp of every topic. I started studying from the beginning of each semester so that by the middle of the semester, I would have been ready for examinations. Because I studied early in the semester, I had time to play politics and do other things. Law is a very technical and wide course. There are cases to memorise and principles to understand. Students fail because they don’t read early enough. Some begin to read only a few days before examinations. It’s not magic. School is a process and it’s difficult to cheat the process and succeed at it.
I am also a person of prayer. The Holy Spirit helps me major in the majors and minor in the minors. God has helped me so much.
How did you balance your academic work with extracurricular activities?
Right from my first year, I was actively involved in extracurricular activities. I have served as a media director for Magna Juris Students Chambers and for Christian Law Students Fellowship of Nigeria, UNIUYO Chapter. I was also a registrar at the Students Union Government Judiciary. I was the head of the Bible study department of CLASFON. I was the deputy head of the Law Clinic. I was a member of many academic and non-academic committees. I was a member of the LAWSAN Judicial Council. I was Editor-in-Chief for Prof Enefiok Essien SAN Students Chambers. In my fifth year, I contested the office of the President of the Law Students Bar Association, won and served in that capacity all year. I am the Community Lead for Nigeria of Teennation Inc. I also participated in moot and mock debates.
While doing all these, I was writing and publishing fiction books. My latest publication is Black Syrma which is my voice against female genital mutilation. The list is inexhaustible.
I believe so much in time management and that is my strategy for creating balance. Everyone has 24 hours every day. No one has more or less. What differentiates one person from another is what they do with their time. Time is a gift from God and time wasting exercises should be avoided.
With all you were involved in, at what point did you realise you were on your way to making a first class at UNIUYO?
That was after I saw first semester results in my first year. When I had a 4.84 grade point average, I knew I could do it.
How exactly did you feel?
Motivated. After hearing stories of how impossible it was to make a first class and I had a 4.84 in year one, first semester, I decided to dare to do it.
Did you graduate top in your faculty?
Yes I did.
Which faculty or departmental prizes did you win?
I have won the LAWSAN UNIUYO prize for academic excellence five times. I have also won leadership prizes and recognition from students chambers in the faculty of Law.
Were you at any point worried about not making a first class after all the hard work?
Yes I was.
If yes, tell us what your thoughts were?
I heard many bad stories of how some students got frustrated by the system. I almost gave up because I didn’t see the point of working hard only to be frustrated in the end. However, I snapped back to my goal. I didn’t let what I heard deter me, and here we are today.
What were the major challenges you faced as an undergraduate that you considered a threat to your academic success?
There is none that I can remember.
But were there times friends, colleagues or lecturers discouraged you in words or actions from spending a lot of time studying or aiming for a first class?
That happened many times, especially from my senior colleagues. Some encouraged me to strive while some told me I was wasting my time.
Have you enrolled at the Nigerian Law School?
I have completed my application for law school.
What is your target now?
I am hoping for the best. There is so much pressure on me now to also graduate with a first class in law school but I have decided to do it for myself and not to prove any point or please anyone.
Do you have any special area of interest in law you would like to focus on?
I love technology law, especially financial technology law. I am also interested in corporate and commercial law. To sharpen my interest in alternative dispute resolution, I have undergone training also as a mediator, arbitrator and negotiator in international institutions. I am interested in women’s rights not because I’ll be a lawyer but because I am a woman. I desire to have the opportunity to teach law as well. I have always been big on impacting the next generation.
Do you have mentors?
Yes, I have mentors for different aspects of my life. They help to bring out the best in me and teach me how to go about life. I am a product of their tireless work and efforts, amongst other things.
What was your happiest moment as a law student at UNIUYO?
I was very happy when I saw my final results and CGPA on the university’s portal. I heaved a sigh of relief. It was all over and it ended great.
What was your most challenging moment?
The year 2020, COVID-19 year, was my most challenging. I stayed at home for one year because of the pandemic and the Academic Staff Union of University strike. I had to engage myself in other activities. I love to be in control of my circumstances but the pandemic taught me I cannot understand nor control everything. It was challenging.
What can a prospective law student do to excel at university?
God is the ultimate source of knowledge, skill and success. Hold God close and you’ll never regret it. Be disciplined. Avoid time wasters. Take breaks off social media if you have to. Take breaks from toxic people. Understand that time lost is difficult to regain. Read, read and read. Don’t just read textbooks; read judgements of courts too. By doing so, you’ll understand legal language more and learn to write like a law student. Discuss law with other students. Never engage in malpractice. The biggest victim of exam malpractice is oneself, because one would be deceiving oneself. Engage in moot and mock debates. Do other things but maintain a good balance.
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