Kogi Indigene, Abdulmalik Bashir, who bagged first class degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, best student water engineering department appeals to Gov. Bello for employment. In this interview, his story through school is touching and needs help to serve as encouragement to other hard working and brilliant students and young people.
Can we meet you
Ans: My name is Abdulmalik Bashir, I was born in Inorere at Adavi local government area of Kogi state on the 17th of May , 1995.
I did my primary school in Adavi LGA. I attended UBE secondary school Idatochi for my junior secondary school thereafter, I proceeded to Egbira Community Secondary School Ogaminana and completed in 2012.
After my secondary school education, I had to stay for two years before I got admission into Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in the department of water resources and environmental engineering in 2014/2015 session and I graduated in 2019.
I graduated with first class degree and the best student in my department.
Your father was a Primary school teacher but fell into the category of those not cleared during the last screening exercise while your mother is down with partial stroke,who then is responsible for your school fees and upkeep?
Ans: When I got admission in 2014 , it was my father and mother that took care of sponsoring me , but since the taking over of APC government in Kogi State, I started facing financial challenges because my father is a teacher at Adavi LGA primary school.
My father’s name is Ohieku Abdulmalik Siyaka. He was a teacher before the long period of screening embarked upon by the present administration of Governor Yahaya Bello where my father fell into the category of uncleared teachers and since then which is more than seven years now my father who is the bread winner of our family has not been paid a dime!
My mother is a petty trader after two years of my admission she developed health challenges which later resulted to partial stroke and could not trade any more.
At my 300 level in school things became extremely difficult for me, I had to resort to begging and meeting few friends I had to solicit their assistance. Very few of them actually assisted me and from what I got from them I still have to send money home to my parents because the situation at home was very critical and piteous .
How did you whether the storm of lack of money and still managed to forge ahead?
Ans:I encountered serious financial challenges that almost forced me out of school if not for God and some friends who lend me money that I later paid back during my service year.
My mother’s health challenges affected my studies a lot because before she fell sick , she ensured that I lacked nothing , but when she became sick I have to turn myself to a beger in the campus before I can feed. There was one particular day when I packed my load to abandon the studies because I can no longer cope but I summoned courage and stayed behind to see what God will do for me.
The suffering and financial challenges I faced while in school motivated me to decide that I must graduate with first class degree so I decided to pack hunger aside to concentrate on my studies. With severe hunger I ensured that I read my book in order to meet my target.
At what point did you start to work towards coming out with first class?
And:From my year one I had vowed to graduate with first class degree so that I can remove my parents from poverty and that I did or achieved at the end of my studies. However, I have been greeted with unemployment since I graduated and completed the National Youth service,NYSC.
I am appealing to government at all levels, public individuals and corporate organisations to assist me with job so that I can take care of my sick mother and my father who had remained on unclear list in the last seven years and my siblings who can no longer go to school because of financial challenges of my parents.
By virtue of my area of discipline I can work in the ministry of water resources, ministry of environment, I can as well work in any oil Company. If I am financially buoyant I can as well set up my business such as water treatment and borehole drilling.
What do you have to say to you parents for their efforts?
I dedicate my academic success to my father and mother who have deprived themselves the comfort of life in order to see me through school especially at the primary and secondary school level before challenges set in while I got administration at Ahmadu Bello University.
Their efforts posed a bigger challenge to me to take a decision of becoming the best student in my department and faculty and today I am partially happy that I have achieved the feat and I will be completely happy when God Almighty , individual and government assist me to secure job and I started taking care of them.
Any advice for the students coming behind?
Ans: I am calling on Nigerian youth to be focus and should not all any challenges to push them into committing crime rather they should convert the challenges to success through seriousness, focus and determination in whatever lawful they are doing because with determination a lot can be achieved at the end.