A 19-year-old student, Miss Ifeoluwa Adeyemi, has shared how staying focused and avoiding distractions helped her emerge as the best graduate in the 2023/2024 academic session at Wesley University, Ondo State.

Adeyemi, who graduated with a degree in microbiology, achieved a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.97.

Speaking to PUNCH Online after the university’s 13th convocation ceremony on Saturday, Adeyemi explained that having a boyfriend during her undergraduate studies would have distracted her.

She said, “Well, I had discussed this with several people, and they told me that it depends on your perspective. But for me, I see it as a distraction because I cannot divide my attention. A boyfriend might demand my time, and I wouldn’t be able to put my full effort into my studies.”

She also mentioned that her core motivation throughout her academic journey was the desire to make her parents proud.

“First, I have parents I cannot disappoint. That was always on my mind. Whenever I felt distracted, I reminded myself that my parents were out there, and I needed to make them proud,” she said.

Additionally, Adeyemi’s goal of making a positive impact in the health sector drove her to dedicate herself to microbiology, a field that studies microorganisms related to diseases and health.

“I needed to focus on my course. Microbiology is one of the areas that deals with health, and I knew I had to put more effort into understanding it,” she said.

Adeyemi also revealed her ambition to further her education by pursuing a Master’s degree and a PhD in the future.

“The next step is to further my education — a Master’s and then a Ph.D. I want to become a researcher,” she said.

In his address, the Vice Chancellor of Wesley University, Professor Sunday Obeka, highlighted the institution’s commitment to holistic education rooted in the Wesleyan tradition. He encouraged the graduates to uphold the values of excellence, integrity, and service in their future endeavours.

PUNCH

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said the Nigerian government needs more borrowings to fund its budget even though some Ministries, Departments and Agencies have surpassed their revenue target.

Edun said this during an interactive session of the Senate Joint Committees on Finance and National Planning and Economic Affairs on the 2025-2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper.

According to him, the borrowing needs to be done productively and efficiently based on the Senate’s approval for proper funding of the budget.

“The revenue effort has been good, but we still need to do better, and in the meantime, we still need to borrow productively, effectively and sustainably all in the name to invest in a Nigerian economy.

“Not just infrastructure but also social services, health services, education and intervention in terms of social safety net to help the poorest and most vulnerable,” Edun said.

Giving a similar reason, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu reminded the lawmakers that the borrowing plans contained in the N35.5 trillion 2024 budget, were primarily meant to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit.

“Despite revenue targets surpassing by some of the revenue generating agencies , government still needs to borrow for proper funding of the budget , particularly in the area of deficit and productivity for the poorest and most vulnerable .

“We a long term development perspective plan agenda 2050 aiming at GDP per capital of $33,000,” Bagudu explained.

Giving a similar reason, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu reminded the lawmakers that the borrowing plans contained in the N35.5 trillion 2024 budget, were primarily meant to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit.

“Despite revenue targets surpassing by some of the revenue generating agencies , government still needs to borrow for proper funding of the budget , particularly in the area of deficit and productivity for the poorest and most vulnerable .

“We a long term development perspective plan agenda 2050 aiming at GDP per capital of $33,000,” Bagudu explained.

A 27-year-old Nigerian man, identified only as Popori, has been arrested in Grenoble, France, for allegedly stabbing a fellow citizen, Monday, to death.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on the evening of Friday, November 22, when a fight broke out between two men during an altercation in a grocery store in Grenoble, Isère, France.

DayFR reports that, according to Grenoble Prosecutor Eric Vaillant, who confirmed information from Dauphiné Libéré, the incident occurred around 8:30pm.

The two men were inside an exotic grocery store when an argument broke out, quickly escalating into a violent altercation.

One of the individuals suddenly stabbed the other in the chest, for reasons still unclear.
Emergency services arrived on the scene but were unable to revive the victim.

On Saturday, the Grenoble public prosecutor announced that a 27-year-old Nigerian man had been taken into police custody at 12:30pm as part of an investigation initiated by the local judicial police service.