I Never Had a Girl Friend – CU’s Best Graduating Student

 According to OMG Reporter  Michael-Eromhonsele In a special report by PunchNG, Michael Eromhonsele sacrificed romance for excellence and emerged the best graduating student of Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State at 20. Twenty-year-old Eromhonsele Michael was the cynosure of all eyes at the eighth graduation ceremony of the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, on Friday. He was the best graduating student of the institution. To achieve this feat, he obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.92, out of a possible 5.0, to beat 1,465 other undergraduates. He says his first few days in the university campus were uneventful. According to him, he was a bit confused because he was not used to the prayer regime that he had to be part of at the faith-based institution. Spirituality is one of the core values of CU. But as soon as he found his rhythm, there was no looking back for him. He says he did not allow himself to be distracted by his friends or the opposite sex as he concentrated on his studies. Listing some of the factors that helped him to achieve that feat, he says, “First, I must acknowledge God’s favour and his assistance. Second, I did not entertain any form of distractions. I did not attend parties, and I did not have any girlfriend or what you may refer to as a lover. I concentrated on my studies.” What about his study style? Eromhonsele reveals that apart from the serene environment in the school, which is conducive for learning, he loves to read late into the night. According to him, he started reading from 10.00pm and he won’t stop until 1.00am. “Those are the hours I found most convenient to read. As soon as I closed my book, I went to bed. I woke up at 7.00am, and got ready for my classes. Lectures start at 8.00am,” he adds. Apart from being the best overall student, he was also the best in the College of Science and Technology where he studied Civil Engineering. Eromhonsele, who is his parents’ second child, explains that they contributed in no small measure to whatever success he recorded in the university. He stresses that they constantly reminded him of his background and they advised him not to lose focus. Eromhonsele had his primary school at the University of Benin Staff School, while he attended both University of Benin Demonstration Secondary School and Greater Tomorrow Secondary School for his junior and senior secondary school education. “My parents were very supportive. They always reminded me of the home I’m from, and they also urged me to take my studies seriously,” he notes. He explains that his mother, Charity Eromhonsele, is a business woman, while the father, Gabriel Eromhonsele, a civil engineer runs a consulting firm in Benin, Edo State. He says his father is a native of Igueben. Apart from his parents, Eromhonsele did not lose sight of the contributions of his lecturers, who, he says, impacted him throughout his stay in the institution. Their pieces of advice, he adds, went a long way in shaping his outlook on life. Talking about the lesson he’s taking away from the CU, Eromhonsele says he’s learnt that “the people one surrounds himself with in life will determine how far one will go.” Again, he advises that there is no future without God, and that he has learnt to put Him first in everything he does. After obtaining a first degree, what next for Michael? Beaming with smiles, he says, “I have already got admission to University of Surrey in the United kingdom to read Structural Engineering for my Master’s degree. I chose this particular course because I feel the need to improve on the structural aspects of construction works.” Eromhonsele is already missing his teachers and friends as he confesses, “Definitely, I miss my friends and the lecturers, most especially my course supervisors. But I am happy, it is for good.” The eighth convocation event was not all about Michael alone. A total of 1,466 students graduated during the event tagged Release of Eagles 2013. The breakdown showed that 114 made first class, 720 made second class upper, 565 obtained second class lower division, while 67 were in the third class category. The Chancellor of the CU, Bishop David Oyedepo, while delivering his address, identified leadership as the greatest challenge facing the 21st Century Africa. While he said that leadership was not an endowment but a commitment to the future, he noted that leadership “is an art that must be continuously and intelligibly developed.” Oyedepo, who spoke under the theme, ‘Living the Covenant Dream – Our Leadership Development Mandate,’ explained that the mandate of the university was a commitment to promoting the man-child model of education aimed at making men out of children, provoking accelerated maturity intellectually and emotionally.