A young Nigerian man who studied law for eight years at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) has come forward to share his painful experience of allegedly being denied his academic certificate by the institution despite completing his programme.
The man, who identified himself as Adewale, made the revelation in an interview video that has since gained attention on social media. The video was posted on the TikTok handle, @yomi, where he detailed the challenges he faced throughout his academic journey.
Details Of The Interview
According to Adewale, his ordeal began when the university introduced a change in its payment system while he was in 300 level, a development he said negatively affected many students and forced several of them to withdraw from the institution.
During the interview, Adewale explained that his academic journey was already unstable from the beginning, as his first year coincided with an extended strike action at the state-owned university.
He revealed that due to the prolonged strike, his set was later merged with another batch of students, disrupting the normal academic flow and causing confusion in their programme structure.
”I spent 8 years and the school refused to give me my certificate. I studied law. First of all, in the first year, we didn’t even do anything, we were just on strike. Then they merged us with another set and we started from there“, He stated.
Speaking further, Adewale disclosed that the institution previously allowed students to pay 60 percent of their school fees before completing the balance later. However, he claimed that this payment option was suddenly scrapped following the introduction of a new payment system.
He said the change created serious financial and administrative challenges for him, making it difficult to regularize his academic records despite multiple efforts to resolve the matter.
According to Adewale, he has been battling the issue for over five years, during which he made several visits to the school and followed different procedures, all of which reportedly proved futile.
He also revealed that he had to take a leave of absence twice during his time at the university, further prolonging his stay and contributing to the eight years he spent studying the law programme.
Speaking about his occupation, Adewale disclosed that he was into breeding before gaining admission into the university, a line of work he said he is still actively involved in.
He expressed regret that his inability to obtain his certificate has prevented him from pursuing a legal career, despite investing years of effort and dedication into studying law.
”Before I got into school, I was a breeder. That’s what I do. If I had gotten my certificate, I would have practiced law. I’m very radical and my thinking is also logical as well”, He said.
Watch video below…..
@yomilistensImagine spending all those years studying a course as hectic as Law, just to be denied your certificate.
♬ original sound – Yomi
The story has since sparked widespread reactions online, with many social media users expressing sympathy for Adewale and criticizing the systemic challenges within public universities.
Others have called on the relevant authorities and the management of Olabisi Onabanjo University to look into the matter and ensure that justice is served, noting that spending eight years on a demanding course like law without receiving a certificate can be emotionally and psychologically devastating.
The incident has once again reignited conversations about strikes, administrative inefficiencies, and student welfare in Nigerian universities.