TheCable

Ayodele Dada, the ex-University of Lagos student, who scored a accumulative grade point average of 5.0, was honoured by the house of representatives on Wednesday.

The house suspended its standing rules to receive him at its chamber, in a rare show of honour reserved for only presidents and top government officials.

Speaking with TheCable afterwards, Dada briefly narrated how he juggled several jobs and school, declaring that he never had a girlfriend in his time at the university.

On how he achieved the feat, he said: “They were many things that contributed to that. It is difficult to put it down to one thing because I look at life as a very colourful mosaic of experiences; they all blend to create a picture.

“I know God was there for me all the way, but there was the support of very well-meaning but not-so-celebrated people like my lecturers.”

Regarding how he coped with female course mates, he said: “Interestingly,  almost all my friends are girls. Why that is so is that I maintain a positive relationship with girls. For me, it was more of focus, and the readiness to keep to my principles.”

And on whether he had a girlfriend at school, he simply said:”I didn’t have any girlfriend.”

Dada also said that he had received a lot of job offers, but that he would think on which one best suits his vision.

“Yes, I have got a number of offers. One day passes and I get a call, then another call; I don’t know the number, but they are accumulating. They are so many, so it is up to me decide what is in line with my vision.”

On how he survived at school, he said: “I had to work at school. I was working several jobs to pay my bills after classes. There were times I had financial challenges and I was hungry.

“I faced all the difficulties. Although after a while, there was a bit stability. I did private tutoring, and I made sometimes N5,000 per day.”