Patience is the Key to Success – My True Life Story

My name is Austine Ikeru. I am a Professional Blogger, YouTuber, Entrepreneur and the CEO of Austine Media. I am a graduate of Mass Communication from Enugu State University of Science and Technology. This is my true life story and I believe Jambites and students hoping to gain admission into the university and Polytechnic will learn from my story.

In this post I will be talking about myself, in other words I will call it my most unforgettable life experience. I am writing this to inspire people, especially those who thought all hope is gone in their life, because they were unable to achieve their dreams or because they have been robbed of everything they have because of their desperation in life. As long as there is life, they is hope, instead of sitting down there and thinking of your past, why don’t you read through this post and get inspired.

My name is Austine Ikeru as I earlier stated, I am originally from Anambra State in the south eastern part of Nigeria but I grew up in Cross River State in the south southern part of Nigeria. After my primary and secondary school education, I wrote jamb and unfortunately score 184 while the school I choose cut up marks was minimum of 200, I was really desperate because I really wanted to go to school, I wanted to study law and become a Barrister in future.

I wanted a bright future for myself and at the end help my family and save them from poverty. So in November 2008 I went to the admin office in the Faculty of Law in Enugu State University of Science and Technology, who encouraged me to go back and re-write another JAMB since my score (180) is not eligible for the course I want to study, which is Law. She further encouraged me to stop wasting my time and go and re-sit for another JAMB and wait patiently that things might turn around for good.

Though I planned to stick to her advice but due to desperation I couldn’t, I was really desperate to go to school and become a Barrister. Right from primary school my friends have started calling me the young barrister because I argue a lot and have won many noble prizes in debate and quiz competitions organized in my school. So I ignored her advice, and went to see the HOD of Civil Law Department, because he was someone I know personally, he gave me the same advice stating that; this is a university you can’t just get admitted through back door, because things might change and you never know what the repercussion will be.

After meeting with him and found no positive result from him, I left him and met with one third year student in Political Science, I told him my problem and he introduced me to a politician who was a member of Enugu State House of Assembly as of then, he gave me the politician number, and told me to do whatever he ask me to do that he will help me gain admission forcefully into Law Faculty in Enugu State University of Science and Technology because that was my dream course and the man has lot of connection. I thanked him so much and gave him some little money to keep as sign of gratitude and appreciation for his assistant.

The next day I headed to Okpara Square in Independent layout Enugu in search of this politician when I got to Enugu State House of Assembly, the building was so big and securities were everywhere and I knew there is no way I could see him, so I dial his number and he picked it after three miss calls, I explain my plight to him, and he gave me directions where to meet with him so I did as he instructed and when we met I explained everything to him, and he saw how desperate I was to gain admission into law faculty, because since my days in primary school it has been my dream to study law, that is why all my friends gave me a nick name “The Young Barrister”.

So he went into his car and brought out a lists, maybe he knew my psychological state of mind and decided to use it against me, he opened the list and showed me the names of the newly admitted candidates in Law faculty in Enugu State University of Science and Technology and told me that he was about to give the lists to his typist to type it and then forward it to the Registrar of the University, I was really sweating profusely when I saw the list because I really wish my name will be in that lists. So he told me that I will have to pay the sum of N100,000 cash before he will include my name in the lists.

Unfortunately, I had no money with me, so I had to travel back to Calabar to make arrangement for the money. So when I arrived home I went and explain to my father the situation and pleaded with him that I needed the N100,000 so that I can use it to make way for myself to enter the university. My father refused stating that he had no such amount with him, but after pleading with him, he decided to give me the money he had saved for the family upkeep.

He gave me the money and I went to Enugu the next day and gave the money to the politician and in front of me, he erased one of the names in the lists and replaced my name with it. He told me to check the admission Notice board or school official website in two weeks time and I will see my name, I was really grateful and thanked him.

Two weeks later I went to a cyber cafe and checked my name in the admission notice portal as he instructed but couldn’t find my name, I called him and he said I should check back in another two weeks time, unfortunately time fly as usual and it is two weeks already, I went again to the internet and couldn’t find my name, I called him and he told me to wait for another two weeks and check again, these time I saw that the last batch admission lists has been released and the portal indicates that it was the final list and that any candidate who can’t find his or her name in the portal should know that he or she have not been admitted into Enugu State University of Science and Technology.

I became disturbed in heart; I went to Enugu to meet with him but couldn’t find him. I called his contact 40 times but he vehemently refused to pick my calls, later his line became switch off and till date that politician contact is still switch off, after 11 years his contact is still switch off.

When I called and couldn’t get him I became worried, I cried and cried, then I realized that crying won’t solve my problem, so I started thinking what to tell my father when I get home, a lady saw me and I explained everything to her. She felt sorry for me because at that time I lost my transport fare (N8000) and was really stranded. The lady gave me N5000 and told me to manage it. I thank her and left with a broken heart, I went straight to Old Park and boarded peace mass transit bus straight back to Calabar.

When I got home my father asked me how it went but I was speechless, when I wanted to tell him what happened I bursted into tears, my father was an understandable man, he knew I was in a psychological state. He advised me never to allow what happened to traumatize me, he motivated me and told me to believe in myself, trust nobody but only almighty God, he advised me never to rush at things, he encouraged me to be determined and focus in life, to always get up and continue my journey anytime I fall down and never to give up when things gets really tough. My father was my highest source of inspiration, his words of encouragement is what made me who I am today.

I absolved his advice in my medulla oblongata and put it into practice. One month later a friend of mind told me that he wants to apply for pre-remedial program in Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, I decided to join him instead of seating at home doing nothing. I joined him in Ebonyi State University on remedial program and three months later in the course of the remedial program a friend of mine told me that Enugu State University of Science and Technology have finally released their final supplementary list of admission to those who score above 180 in Jamb and was not offered provisional admission before.

My close friend advised me to go and check my name but I bluntly refused insisting that I wasn’t admitted, later I decided to give it a try, I went and bought a scratch card and decided to check for my name. I checked and to my greatest surprise found out that I have been admitted into Mass Communication Department of Enugu State University of Science and Technology. I was really happy because Mass Communication and Law are my two lovely courses and they are inter-related. I had to quit the remedial program in Ebonyi State University immediately and rush to Enugu for my registration.

I had my wonderful time in Mass Communication Department, made new friends and became committed in the course. It was in my course of studying that I derived pleasure in writing, I wrote two beautiful novels which was published in Enugu. I later gain experience in movie editing and production during my national youth service and decided to visualize my creativity. I went into Movie production since 2010 and have produced few blockbuster movies and documentary. One of the movies I produced is titled “Expensive Mistake” and is already on IrokoTV and also on YouTube. I vow to myself that I will do all it takes to become successful in the career God has chosen for me. I vow that I will become a successful journalist in future and today my dream has come to reality. I am not only a successful Journalist, I am also a successful Blogger, a successful YouTuber and a Successful Entrepreneur.

Back to my story; four years later, that was in my final year in 2011 studying Mass Communication in Enugu State University of Science and Technology. The University Vice Chancellor was removed from office by the Enugu State Governor on the allegation of corruption and mismanagement filed by the university senates.

Few weeks later we had a new Vice Chancellor in the person of Prof. Cyprian Onyeji, a professor of Medicine. A no nonsense man, a God fearing, a man who is very strict and discipline. In the process of cross checking the admission files and putting things in order, he discovered that out of 100% of students admitted into the University, 55% gain admission through back door (that is bribery and corruption).

Without delay, he called for university senate meeting and the issue was deliberated for over four months, after four months of deliberation, the University Senates agreed that those with fake admissions starting from my set, which is the year I got admission (2008) to the present year (2012), will be expel permanently from the university, a week later the names of fake admitted students came out and was pasted in the university admission notice board.

We were urged to check our names to be in a safer side otherwise we will be wasting our time for nothing. Everybody in my class was afraid to check their names, I developed courage and decided to check my name, when I checked the names, I found out that 589 students including those in final year (my classmates) have been expel from the university on the ground of fake admission.

I rushed back to the classroom and knelt down and prayed to God to deliver me from bondage, after my prayers I went back and cross check the whole listed one after the other but could not find my name in the list. I checked again one by one and discovered that my name wasn’t in the fake admission list. Then I knew my admission was genuine and it was given to me by God almighty, though some of my friends in our final year were expelled. I escaped because my admission was real and genuine.

Patience is the key to success, don’t be in haste, don’t be desperate of something, believe in yourself, pray to God and the sky shall be your limit. Because of my persistence, perseverance, determination and faith in God I was able to fulfill all my dreams. Right now I am a graduate of Mass Communication with Second Class Honors. I have also developed myself personally and all those experience have helped me in moving forward without any regrets in life. I believe that my personal experience has inspired you, never be desperate in life. Wait for God’s time because God’s time is the best.

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