Three students of Marcory Baptist Church Group of School, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Okechukwu Adannia Mirabelle, Okechukwu Olisaemeka Emmanuel and Bakare Amdallah Opeyemi, matriculated at the University of Ibadan (UI) with thousands of other students following their successful admission applications into the institution.
Celebrating the students on Facebook, their teacher, Oyedele Emmanuel, shared pictures he took with them at the matriculation ceremony on campus and prayed that God bless their journey and turn it into one of the best decisions they ever made.
Joy as 3 Cote D’Ivoire students matriculate at University of Ibadan, their photos emerge online
Okechukwu Adannia Mirabelle, Okechukwu Olisaemeka Emmanuel and Bakare Amdallah Opeyemi were students of Marcory Baptist Church Group of School, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire.
“May the good God bless this journey and make it one of the best decisions ever made! Amen!
“This is a journey from Cote D’Ivoire to Nigeria — a transition that marks the continuity of a bond and a new beginning.
“Congratulations to you all on your matriculation! Welcome to the first and one of the best universities in Nigeria, University of Ibadan!”
Why did they chose University of Ibadan?
In an exclusive interview with Emmanuel revealed that he taught the students English Language and Literature at their Côte d’Ivoire private secondary school and also followed them to Nigeria to prepare them for UI’s post-UTME.
Asked the teacher why his students did not choose a university in the West African country and chose the University of Ibadan. He replied:
“Yes, Côte d’Ivoire is a beautiful and friendly environment. However, the zeal to always travel back to their fatherland to experience a different learning culture had always been there. This is why I (as their teacher) encouraged them to go for it.”
He further revealed:
“The Okechukwus were born there (Côte d’Ivoire), while Amdallah’s parents brought her there some years ago. The Okechukwus are studying Linguistics (at UI) because they have always wanted it, while Amdallah is studying Communication and Language Arts (CLA) in Education (at UI).”
Teacher hails University of Ibadan freshmen
Teacher Emmanuel, who is super proud of the trio for getting into the University of Ibadan after taking their first JAMB exams, spoke about their secondary school exploits. He said they wrote their JAMB exams in Côte d’Ivoire.
“While in Secondary school, Okechukwu Olisaemeka Emmanuel served as the president of a literary club (IPENDIUM — a club that fosters reading culture among students and promotes their talents) between 2022/23, Okechukwu Adannia equally served as the president of the same club between 2023/24, while Bakare Amdallah was a member.
“While discharging their duties, they had always wanted to find themselves in a more competitive environment where they could harness their potential, broaden their knowledge and experience a world outside their immediate environment.”
The teacher further disclosed that two of the students actually wanted law, but didn’t meet the cut-off mark.
“Perhaps, I should say that the Okechukwus were just 5 points away from achieving their desired course (LAW). Quite painful that they were so close, but we hope for the best again soon.
“I had to relocate with them because their success is my priority!”
Joy as 3 Cote D’Ivoire students matriculate at University of Ibadan, their photos emerge online
The University of Ibadan gives admission to three students who lived and schooled in Cote D’Ivoire for years.
Netizens celebrate trio University of Ibadan freshmen
Has compiled some reactions to the students’ teacher’s post below:
Rasaq Sodiq Adebayo said:
“Congratulations to them all.”
Taylor Oyeteju Oyetoro said:
“Congratulations to them. Wishing you all the best. Keep pushing forward, you’ve got this!”
Akinbode Omore said:
“They’re welcome to the first and the best university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan.”
Hurry Cane said:
“Are these your former Ivorian students? What factors informed their decision to ignore Ivorian universities while opting for the University of Ìbàdàn? Do they speak English? Are they in UI to study French?”
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a man who was denied admission by the University of Ibadan, OAU and LASU had gained admission into a different university.
UI aspirant denied admission succeeds months later
Meanwhile, previously reported that a man who was denied admission to the University of Ibadan was admitted one year later.
According to him, he could not get admission into Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in 2023, despite scoring 291 in the UTME.
The following year, he applied to the University of Ibadan (UI) with a UTME score of 307 but was still denied admission. Fortunately for him, UI offered him admission in 2025 after he scored 328 in the UTME. In another tweet, Promise mentioned that he scored 80/100 in his post-UTME and an aggregate of 81, to beat the cut-off mark of 78.875. He added that he is open to scholarship opportunities.
