Simon Utsu|28 March 2017
The joke is on those laughing at Dino for making a 3rd class degree. That he made a third class doesn't necessarily mean he was a dull student. That he made a third class and 7 years later became a Federal Representative and 15 years later a Senator means he knew were he was going right from the onset and had the drive to get there in record time. Whether you like it or not, he's making laws for some of you that made a 1st class and have 2 Ph.Ds.
Nigerians sometimes miss the big picture. The problem I have with Dino is the fact that he's lousy and has betrayed his constituents (aluta community, activists etc) by living an ostentatious lifestyle and rubbing it in the face of anyone who cares to notice. Now his Vice Chancellor has set the record straight and confirmed that Dino graduated from ABU.
I have no problem if he graduated with a 3rd class or a pass or even fail. The greatest PM the UK has ever had, Winston Churchill was an average student in the university who preferred the backbench. He said he was bored with classwork because he knew where he was headed and was already so sure he would get there(with time). In contrast, US President Jimmy Carter who we heard had two sophisticated Ph.Ds(nuclear chemistry & nuclear physics) ended up as an average president. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg both dropped out from Harvard because they lost interest in academic stuff as they had already found their passions. If they were persuaded by their parents to complete their degrees, I'm pretty sure they would have done so reluctantly and finished with 3rd class or pass grades.
The Nigerian society lays so much emphasis on university grades and ends up putting so much pressure on the student to graduate with a 2.1 or 1st class to the extent that the student ends up losing the war/plot even after winning the battle.
I've watched Dino speak a number of times and he's of a sound mind. Save for the facts that he can be very lousy and lied about a couple of his qualifications(perjury?), I don't have any problem with him.
On a final note, the Nigerian society should stop placing too much emphasis on university grades and stigmatising those who don't 'meet up'. This attitude has killed a lot of stars. Many people aren't self motivational and can easily cave under such societal pressures. I think few people like me(who don't lack self belief) are around. Even if I graduated with something less than a second class upper, I would have still exuded as much positivity as I'm doing now.
Simon Utsu
Is a social commentator
