At just 20, Miriam Omede made history as the first-ever first-class graduate of the Faculty of Law at Prince Abubakar Audu University. She shares with TEMITOPE ADETUNJI how she turned challenges into stepping stones, revealing the mindset, discipline, and sacrifices behind her achievement — and the lessons aspiring law students can learn from her journey:
Congratulations on your achievement.
Thank you.
What was your immediate reaction the day your results came out?
Well, I would say my first reaction was gratitude. It was gratitude and then excitement. I was grateful to God, and I was excited that I graduated with a first class.
Growing up, did you always see yourself studying law, or did this dream develop along the way?
Honestly, I had always seen myself in the legal field. Growing up, I was a very inquisitive child. I always asked questions and wanted to know more. I wanted to know why some things were the way they were. Then a lot of people started saying, ‘Oh, this girl will be a good lawyer.’
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a lawyer because I believed that in that field, I would be able to answer a lot of questions and also question things that seem normal — to understand what they really are and how to make them better.
What position are you in your family?
I’m the fourth child.
What year did you gain admission, and what really inspired you to choose law as a course of study?
I gained admission in 2021. Initially, when I wanted to choose a course of study, law was always on my mind. I wanted to study law and all of that, but it felt like an expensive course, especially in Nigeria. It seemed costly to study law, but I just knew that was what I wanted to do.
A lot of people said, ‘Law is expensive. Just pick another course — study Mass Communication or something that wouldn’t be as financially demanding.’ But I knew I wanted to study law, so it was a natural decision for me that I would become a lawyer.
At what point in your academic journey did you realise you could actually graduate with a first class?
I think that was in my 300-level. At that point, looking at my results, I realised that if I put in the work, stayed consistent, and remained determined, I could graduate with a first class.
Was your first year challenging?
I believe the first year is usually challenging for a lot of people, especially for me. I was quite young — I had just turned 16 when I resumed school. So yes, I was young, and there were a lot of lessons I learnt along the way, especially in my first year, when I made some mistakes.
I also made some good decisions. So, my 100-level was challenging, but it was nothing I could not handle. With the mercy of God, I finished my first year very well.
Can you tell me one of the mistakes you made?
In my first year, one of the things I would not exactly call a mistake, but something I wish I had done better, was thinking everyone was my friend. But moving forward after my 100-level, I realised that you have to choose your friends carefully, especially in university.
You have to choose the right people who share the same vision and are heading in the same direction as you. So, in my first year, I made some mistakes with the kind of people I called my friends and the qualities I looked for in people I considered friends.
Were you the youngest in your class?
Yes.
At any point, did you feel challenged or self-conscious being the youngest in your class, and how did you navigate that?
I think I’m grateful for the kind of course mates I had. Initially, a lot of people didn’t know my age. Growing up, I was always the youngest in most of my classes and among my friends. So, when I speak, people don’t usually realise how young I am.
Even when my course mates eventually knew my age, there was still a level of mutual respect they had for me. So, I didn’t really feel intimidated at any point. Rather, I saw my age as an advantage — something to hold on to, to do well, and to take advantage of my youth to achieve more for myself.
I’m proud to say that I am the first-ever first-class graduate from the Faculty of Law at Prince Abubakar Audu University since its inception. The Head of Department confirmed that the faculty had never produced a first-class student until I achieved this, breaking a 25-year record.
When did you officially graduate?
I saw my final results in October 2025, but our convocation happened in January this year (2026).
Did your background contribute to this achievement?
Sometimes I think about how being from where I’m from and attending the school I attended could have been a stumbling block. Compared to my contemporaries who went to private or federal schools or grew up in big cities, I had more exposure to opportunities. But I knew early in my academic journey that if I wanted to be exceptional, I needed to expand my mind beyond my environment.
So, I started looking for opportunities outside Kogi State and beyond my university. I connected with people in other schools and applied for opportunities outside my comfort zone so that I could have a level playing field. My environment could have been an obstacle if I had allowed it, but I decided not to.
Where were you born?
I was born and raised in Kogi State.
Law is known to be demanding, as you said. What was the biggest academic challenge you faced, and how did you overcome it?
I think one of the biggest challenges of being a law student is having so much to do, so much to cover, and so much knowledge to assimilate and understand. A major way I overcame that was by allowing little actions to grow into big results.
My strategy was to do the little things and then watch them accumulate into good results. I made notes over the holidays and extra notes even after class. I consulted multiple textbooks and spoke to my friends and course mates about areas I didn’t understand or needed clarification on. I tried my best to take in knowledge and learn something new every day, as far as my courses were concerned.
I didn’t allow any day to go by without doing something that contributed to my academics — either making notes, reading, explaining something to someone, or having someone explain something to me.
Each day, I made sure I did something that contributed to my academics. In the long run, that helped me cover so much over time. So, when it was time for exams, I just had to go over what I already knew before sitting my exams.
Many students struggle with consistency. Some plan routines but still find it hard to follow through. What really worked for you? Were you able to discipline yourself, for example, to say, ‘I want to read two books today,’ and actually finish them?
I think what really helped me was having a goal in front of me. A lot of people say, ‘I want to be consistent. I want to read my books. I want to do this.’ But you need to know what you want to achieve with all those actions. When I knew that what was before me was graduating with a first-class degree, and that if I didn’t do what I needed to do, I might never achieve that, it became my motivation.
That didn’t cancel out the fact that on some days, I didn’t meet my goals as much as I would have liked. But I made sure not to remain in that “Oh, I didn’t do it, I feel bad” state. Instead, I picked myself up and ensured I did better the next time. For me, consistency meant showing up every day to the best of my ability.
If I said I wanted to read for two hours, I tried my best to do that. But if I only read for one hour, I didn’t sit and regret the one hour I didn’t use. Rather than spending time regretting, I used that time to reflect on how to do better the next day. So, it was a lot of reflection, determination, and being intentional about achieving my goal.
Source: Punch Newspaper