- Samuel Adebanjo emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student at Lagos State University for the 2025/2026 academic session, beating 8,653 graduates
- The Aerospace Engineering graduate finished with a 4.97 out of 5.00 CGPA after five years, completing 81 courses with 77 As and 4 Bs
- Adebanjo revealed he started his university journey with a 4.81 GP in his first semester and was not the top student in his class at the time
Samuel Adebanjo, an Aerospace Engineering graduate of Lagos State University (LASU), has been named the Overall Best Graduating Student for the 2025/2026 academic session, emerging ahead of 8,653 graduates across all faculties.
Sharing the news on X, Adebanjo revealed he finished with a First Class Honours degree and a CGPA of 4.97 out of 5.00, a remarkable achievement in one of Nigeria’s most technically demanding disciplines.
Photo credit: Samuel Adebanjo/X.
Source: Twitter
How Samuel Adebanjo’s Journey Began
The story behind the grade point average is one of gradual, deliberate progress. In his first semester at 100 Level, Adebanjo recorded a GP of 4.81.
While that figure still placed him in First Class territory, it was not enough to put him at the top of his class, and he admitted the result left him feeling disappointed.
His sister offered the words that would shape the rest of his degree: “It’s not about how you start, but how you finish.”
By his second semester at 100 Level, Adebanjo had earned his first 5.0 GP, lifting his CGPA to 4.90. From 200 Level onwards, he changed his mindset entirely, setting aside any comparison with fellow students and focusing on one goal each semester: achieving a perfect score and giving his best effort.
7 Perfect Semesters Out of 10
Across a five-year programme spanning 10 semesters, Adebanjo achieved a 5.0 GP in seven of them. He completed 81 courses in total, earning 77 As and 4 Bs.
By the end of 400 Level, his string of perfect results had pushed his CGPA to 4.96, which led to his selection for the OPay Scholarship as the sole engineering recipient among that cohort.
He acknowledged that the journey involved both physical and financial sacrifices, crediting faith and consistency as the forces that kept him going.
“Behind those numbers were physical and financial sacrifices, yet I never gave up by God’s grace,” he wrote.
Adebanjo also noted that his record of academic excellence stretched back before university.
He had previously graduated as the best student from his secondary school, making his LASU achievement a continuation of a long-standing pattern of excellence.
Closing his post on a forward-looking note, he described the degree not as a destination but as a starting point: “This is not the finish line; it is just the beginning.”
Nigerians React to His Achievement
The post drew a wave of reactions from Nigerians, with many users celebrating his feat while others expressed frustration about the prospects awaiting high achievers in Nigeria.
Toyyib said:
“This will never ever happen to any English or language student, ask anyone if na lie I dey lie. Where we wan see am gan sef?”
Habam said:
“You’re a genius and blessing to Nigeria as a whole. I’m just so pained this country doesn’t know or appreciate your kind. Wish you the best fr.”
See the post below:
Student bags first class in tough course
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Saheed Sunday graduated as Best Graduating Student from LASU’s English department, which had produced only 3 first-class graduates in 40 years.
A senior’s remark at his Freshers’ Orientation revealed the near-impossible odds, leaving Saheed devastated rather than motivated in his first semester.
Source: Legit.ng