Samuel Oluolamide Adebanjo, the overall best-graduating student of Lagos State University (LASU) for the 2025/2026 academic session, has shared how financial hardship nearly disrupted his education before he emerged with a CGPA of 4.97.
The 22-year-old Aerospace Engineering graduate emerged first among 8,653 graduates across the university’s faculties.
His performance earned him N20 million from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and an additional N10 million from the Sunbeth Excellence Partnership Programme (SEPP).
Adebanjo, in a post on X on August 23, 2026, recalled that his family could no longer afford his school fees while he was in junior secondary school in Lagos, forcing him to leave school.
The family later relocated to Sango Ota, Ogun State, where he enrolled at Top’s Bright International School.He said he was repeatedly sent home because of unpaid fees but continued to excel academically, consistently finishing as the best student in his class.
According to Adebanjo, his dedication attracted the attention of the school’s proprietor, who cleared his outstanding fees, awarded him a full scholarship through SS3 and supported his WAEC and UTME fees.
He also acknowledged teachers who supported him with food and extra lessons when his family could not afford them.
“I will never forget the teachers who believed in me, teachers who gave me money to buy food to eat during school lunch break, Master Timothy Chinedu, and Mr. Tayo Ajileye, who enrolled me in free extra lessons,” he said.
“Everyone supported me with the little they had. That kindness proved to me early on that hard work and diligence pay off.”
Adebanjo later gained admission to LASU, where he graduated with a 4.97 CGPA, becoming the university’s overall best-graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session.
LASU held its 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies in August 2026 for graduates of the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.
His journey from struggling to pay school fees to emerging as LASU’s best graduating student has drawn widespread attention, particularly for the role played by individuals who supported his education during his most difficult years.
Hadizat Giwa