Prince Marvellous
In a country where graduating from university is itself a major milestone for many young Nigerians, achieving a perfect 5.00/5.00 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is an extraordinary accomplishment.
Only a small number of students have managed to reach the highest possible score in their respective institutions, turning their academic journeys into stories of discipline, consistency and, in some cases, remarkable resilience.
One of the students who opened this chapter at the University of Lagos was Ayodele Daniel Dada, a Psychology graduate who made history during the 2014/2015 academic session.
Dada became the first student in UNILAG’s history to graduate with a perfect 5.00 CGPA.
His achievement attracted recognition from the university’s then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rahamon Bello, as well as several awards and financial rewards reportedly worth more than ₦1 million.
The following academic session produced not one, but two more perfect scorers at UNILAG.
Taiwo Bankole, who studied Cell Biology and Genetics, and Oyindamola Ajoke Omotuyi, a Systems Engineering graduate, both finished with 5.00 CGPAs in 2015/2016.
Their performances made them the second and third UNILAG graduates to reach the university’s highest possible academic score.
The feat was not confined to UNILAG. At Covenant University, Motunrayo Ajia made history during the 2018/2019 academic session when she graduated at the age of 21 with a perfect 5.00 CGPA in Petroleum Engineering.
She became the first graduate in the university’s history to achieve the score and was also named Overall Best Graduating Student.
Covenant University’s remarkable run continued with Ewerechukwu Favour Asaka, a Computer Science graduate who achieved another perfect 5.00 CGPA in 2021.
At just 21, Asaka emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student at the university’s 16th Convocation, becoming the institution’s second recorded perfect scorer.
Another Covenant University graduate, Dashe Fatima Andat, added to the institution’s record of academic excellence after recording a 5.00 CGPA in Accounting.
She was recognised as the Best Graduating Student of her set, further highlighting the level of academic performance associated with the perfect score.
At Nile University of Nigeria, Gloria Bozhena Ezuma also joined the exclusive group.
The Business Administration graduate completed her studies with a 5.00 CGPA and was recognised among the institution’s outstanding graduates at its 8th Convocation Ceremony on March 6, 2021.
For Aminat Yusuf, the achievement carried particular historical significance.
The Lagos State University Law graduate recorded a perfect 5.00 CGPA and was reported as the first LASU student in about 40 years to graduate with the score. She also emerged as the Best Graduating Student of her set.
UNILAG’s list of exceptional performers grew again with David Oluwatomiwa Akanmu, a Civil Engineering graduate who achieved a perfect 5.00 CGPA and emerged as Overall Best Graduating Student at the university’s 54th Convocation.
UNILAG identified him as only the fourth graduate in the institution’s history to attain the perfect score.
The pursuit of academic excellence has also extended beyond undergraduate education.
Ayotundun Christianah Ojelabi achieved a 5.00 CGPA while pursuing a Master’s degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Babcock University.
Her achievement came despite a difficult research journey that reportedly included setbacks that nearly caused her to give up.
She persevered, completed the programme with an outstanding record and earned recognition among Babcock University’s top postgraduate graduates.
UNILAG’s most recent addition to this remarkable group is Chukwuzubelu Benedict Umeozor, a Business Administration graduate who recorded a perfect 5.00 CGPA.
At the university’s 56th Convocation Ceremony in January 2026, he emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student, joining the very small number of UNILAG graduates who have attained the institution’s perfect score.
And now, another name is attracting attention from the University of Ilorin. Francis Olusegun, a Mathematics graduate, has been reported to have achieved a 5.00/5.00 CGPA.
His reported performance has placed him among the university’s most outstanding graduating students, although his designation as UNILORIN’s Overall Best Graduating Student remains pending official confirmation ahead of the institution’s upcoming convocation.
What connects these students is not simply a perfect number on their academic records.
Their achievements span Psychology, Cell Biology and Genetics, Systems Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Computer Science, Accounting, Business Administration, Law, Civil Engineering, Mathematics and Medical and Pharmaceutical Microbiology.
Some became the first in their institutions to reach the milestone.
Others joined a select group that had gone before them.
For some, the journey was relatively smooth; for others, setbacks and difficult circumstances made the achievement even more meaningful.
Together, their stories offer a broader picture of academic excellence in Nigeria, one that goes beyond grades and awards to highlight the discipline, persistence and determination required to remain at the top.
A perfect 5.00 CGPA may be recorded in a transcript as a number, but for these Nigerians, it represents years of work and an achievement that has already become part of their universities’ academic history.
And as new students begin their own journeys across Nigerian universities, these stories leave behind a simple but powerful lesson: academic excellence is possible when talent is matched with discipline, consistency and the determination to keep going.
