By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Oladepo Caleb Olugbenga, Overall Best Graduating Student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), has narrated how support from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) helped him overcome years of hardship and attain academic excellence.
Oladepo, who spoke after his convocation, said he grew up in a rural community in Osun State in a family of five struggling to survive.
He explained that he attended public primary and secondary schools because even the cheapest private schools were beyond his family’s means, while daily needs such as food and clothing were constant challenges.
According to him, life was defined by deprivation, as the family spent years without access to basic comforts despite living close to them.
“For nine defining years before I entered university, we lived within sight of basic amenities yet beyond our reach no electricity, no television; just lanterns and candles,” he said.
He added that he trekked long distances to school every morning while his parents took on different menial jobs to keep the family afloat.
Oladepo said he remained committed to education and eventually secured a scholarship, which paved the way for his university admission. However, financial difficulties persisted throughout his undergraduate years.
As an engineering student determined to make history, he said the inability to afford fees, gadgets and learning tools posed a serious obstacle to his ambition.
He identified NELFUND as a major intervention that changed the trajectory of his academic journey.
“For me personally, NELFUND was not incidental; it was instrumental,” he stated.
He noted that the support eased financial pressure and enabled him to focus on his studies, professional development and academic targets without being overwhelmed by economic hardship.
Furthermore, Oladepo recounted how acts of kindness from individuals also sustained him during difficult moments.
In his third year, he said a coursemate’s father, whom he had previously tutored, gifted him his first smartphone.
“In my third year, a coursemate’s father, someone I had once tutored academically, gifted me my first smartphone, which I am still using till now,” he said.
He also disclosed that some lecturers, moved by compassion, provided clothing and other assistance when needed.
“There are many other instances, too numerous to recount,” he added.
According to him, students from poor backgrounds often rely on legitimate support systems to survive and succeed, stressing that not everyone starts life with equal opportunities.
“Not all of us are born with a silver spoon. Some of us climbed the ladder by holding on to every rung of legitimate support we could find,” he said.
He argued that acknowledging assistance received on the road to success should not be politicised or misunderstood.
