- A student of the University of Ibadan has revealed she failed her O’Level examination four separate times before gaining admission
- The young woman gained admission to study at The Polytechnic, Ibadan at just 14, even graduating as the Best Student in her department despite repeated setbacks
- The UI student eventually passed both WAEC and NECO and secured admission to her dream course
Glory Salawu, currently serving as Vice President of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union, has opened up about the years of repeated failure that preceded her acceptance into one of Nigeria’s most prestigious universities.
Writing on LinkedIn in July 2026, Glory traced her academic story back to age 13, when she sat her first O’Level examination and did not pass.
Source: UGC
Rather than wait and try again, she pressed forward. By 14, she had completed secondary school and earned admission to study Science Laboratory Technology at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
UI student gains admission after failed attempts
The failures, however, did not stop there. At 16, Glory Salawu sat another O’Level examination and failed once more, even as she successfully completed her National Diploma that same year, graduating as the Best Student in her department.
At 17, she faced yet another O’Level disappointment, bringing her total to three failed attempts.
What happened at 18 became the turning point she describes in her LinkedIn post. Glory sat for the WAEC examination for the fourth time and, again, did not pass.
Yet she persisted, eventually clearing both her NECO and WAEC examinations and, in the same year, securing admission to study Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan.
Read Glory Salawu’s original LinkedIn post that sparked the conversation:
“ππ ππ,I failed my first O’Level examination. I thought I had fallen behind.π”
“ππ ππ, I completed secondary school and, against all odds, gained admission to study Science Laboratory Technology at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.”
“ππ ππ,I failed another O’Level examination. It felt like another setback, yet I successfully completed my National Diploma the same year and also the Best Graduating Student of my department.”
“ππ ππ, I failed again.π”
“Three failed O’Level attempts. Three moments that could have convinced me to stop dreaming.”
“ππ ππ, I made a decision that changed everything. I refused to let my failures define my future.”
“That same year, I wrote another WAEC for the fourth time and failed again. Eventually, I passed my NECO examination.I also passed my WAEC examination.”
“For the first time in years, the dream that had seemed impossible started to feel within reach.”
“ππ π8, I gained admission to study Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan which is the course I had dreamed about despite every setback.”
“If my story had ended at 17, people would have called it failure. But my story didn’t end there.”
“Since then, that same journey has sharpened me beyond my expectations and I am glad of how much Iβd contribute to global Public Health in the healthcare sector. This time next year, I would be completing my Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Ibadan.”
UI aspirants posts Post-UTME score
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a 2026 UTME candidate who scored 286 in JAMB also sat for the University of Ibadan post-UTME examination and shared the result online.
The aspirant is hoping to study Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan with the combined scores.
Source: Legit.ng