Tayyib MS Ahmed, a Kano indigene student resident in Zaria, Kaduna State emerged one of the best candidate in the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), speaks with Daylight Reporters about his academic journey.
Daylight Reporters: Can you tell us about yourself ?
Tayyib: I am Tayyib M S Ahmad. I was born on 3rd January, 2004 in Kano. My father, Major General M S Ahmad is a Nigerian military officer. My mother is a university lecturer with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria.
I did my Primary School in Armed Forces Primary School, Jaji and my Secondary School in Airforce Comprehensive School. I was the President of Math and Computer Science Club during my secondary school days and I graduated as the overall best student in the school.
Daylight Reporters: Did it come to you as a surprise that you scored 305 points in the UTME?
Tayyib: It did, actually, but I would also say I prepared and prayed towards it. I knew I would get a very good score but I didn’t know it would be this high. I made a decision never to take any exam twice, so I give my best always. With the way I read, I knew I would get above 300, but I was expecting between 300 and 315. When the result came out, it was released in batches, and some of my colleagues already checked theirs and the results were not so good. When I entered my details and my result was displayed on the screen, I saw that I scored 305. I was very happy. I was jumping, and everyone there congratulated me. Actually, I knew I would do well, but I didn’t expect that kind of score.
Daylight Reporters: So what do you think is the secret behind this success.
Tayyib: Reading hard and praying.
Daylight Reporters: What was your reading schedule like?
Tayyib: I studied really hard, I read mostly from 2am – 7am, I only stop to pray Subh prayer and continue reading. There were times I would sleep off while reading and on and off like that. I studied really hard, because I never want to retake any exam in my life. I read at every opportunity. I didn’t cram anything. If there was anything I didn’t understand, I would stay on it until I had full understanding of it, and sometimes, I met with my friends to explain to me because no one the monopoly of knowledge. Then, my mother had a hand in this.
Daylight Reporters: Have you always been ahead in your studies?
Tayyib: I had good performance in my Secondary School. I was the overall best student of our set. I score As and Bs in my SSCE, I didn’t got even a single C, let alone D.
Daylight Reporters: What is the breakdown of your UTME scores?
Tayyib: I scored 64 in English, 70 in Biology, 86 and 88 in Chemistry and Physics respectively.
Daylight Reporters: What course do you plan to study?
Tayyib: Medicine
Daylight Reporters: What schools are you looking at?
Tayyib: Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti.
Daylight Reporters: It’s no longer news that greater percentage of candidates who sat for this year’s UTME failed. From what you saw around you, why do you think students fail?
Tayyib: I feel some don’t read, but there are some that read but still fail. Students need to read to understand. When you read to pass and a question is twisted, that person could be stranded. Another factor is that the examination is computer based and many students don’t have the basic knowledge of computer. Parents and schools need to do something about this.
Daylight Reporters: After your degree programme, where would you like to work?
Tayyib: I left this choice to Almighty Allah
