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•How I obtained first class at UNILAG, NLS – Adeyeye
By Gabriel Dike
Joshua Adeyeye obtained first class in Law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and at the Nigerian Law School (NLS). In this interview, he shared his outstanding experiences with Daily Sun:
Tell us about your educational background…
I attended Gloryville College, Ojo, Lagos, where I served as the head boy/senior prefect and also clinched awards as the overall best-graduating student as well as best in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, Government, English Language and Christian Religious Studies.
How was your journey to UNILAG Law Faculty?
I took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in 2017 and scored 271 and I wrote the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in SS2 in 2016 and recorded four B’s, four C’s and one A. They were both my first attempts.
What influenced your choice of course?
I chose Law because I felt it was the best course available to any Art student and I really wanted to take up a tough course.
How was your UNILAG Law result?
Although I did not start with a first class in my first year, I made a first class (4.62) and emerged the best male/second overall graduating student, missing the top spot by a narrow margin of 0.01.
Alongside the first class, I was awarded best in Company Law and Land Law for getting the cumulative highest score in both semesters.
As a whiz kid, how was your social life on campus?
I had a lot of fun while on campus, both in UNILAG and in the Law School. From seeing movies at the cinema to attending parties, I balanced my academics with my social life.
Being the president of the Law Students’ Society at UNILAG, my administration hosted a number of social events for Law students in which I participated.
At the Law School, I played the DDG Cup and won a gold medal. I also went to the cinema a couple of times.
How did you prepare for exams?
The first rule is attending lectures and paying attention to what is being taught. Afterwards, I read from the sources that the lecturers used in class and supplemented them with other materials. Second, I practiced past questions from time to time, both self-paced and demo exam mode.
I also did active recalling as I believe that one can only write what he or she remembers in the exam.
What was in your mind, going to Law School?
First class. I was posted to Lagos campus. I could not stay in the general six-man room because I found it difficult to concentrate. Before I got a two-man private room, more than one month had passed.
I redeemed the lost time during the first court externship in late June/early July. I planned my timetable in such a way that it allowed me to cover everything we did in the first half of Law School from April to June.
Each day, I read about two or three topics, depending on the length, drafted one court process and practiced multiple choice questions (MCQs). About one week to the end of the court externship, I went through the Law School official answered essay past questions (“Compendium”).
After resuming classes for the second half, I was settled because I was now staying in the private room. Not long after, I fell ill for two weeks and could not attend classes regularly. My roommate, Oluwalayomi Azeez, gave me updates on what was taught in class.
When I bounced back, I knew there was a lot to catch up on. So, I drafted another timetable that allowed me to read up on the topics I missed, while following up on the topics we were doing in class.
By mid-September, we went for chamber attachment for about five weeks. As we had completed the syllabus, I planned my timetable in such a way that it allowed me to read up on all the topics in the second half while revising the ones we did in the first half.
After the chamber attachment, we had one month to exam. During that one month, our lecturers were still coming to class to revise the topics and also answered our questions. Since I had covered a substantial part of the syllabus, I started revising and solving past questions.
The exam started December 6th, 2025 with MCQs. On the day scheduled for the Professional Ethics & Skills exam, I could not find my identification card in my room. Surprisingly, I was told that it was with the students’ affairs. I started my exam that day 30 minutes after the exam had commenced.
During the Civil Litigation exam, I answered only two out of four questions, 45 minutes to the end of the exam. To God be the glory, none of this affected me from making a first class.
How did you feel about obtaining first class at UNILAG and Law School?
I felt accomplished. This is because I did not want to disappoint God, my family/grandparents, my juniors, my lecturers, my firm, well-wishers and myself.
Everyone was happy. Many said “they did not expect anything less.” I secured a job to work with the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode a week after writing my bar final exams. I am currently a first year Associate in the Banking & Finance Team, after rotating in the first six months in the Dispute Resolution & Tax Team.
Was funding an issue while at UNILAG and Law School?
Not really. At the university, the fees were quite moderate but I later secured a scholarship from the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) when the fees skyrocketed in my final year.
For Law School, I also got two scholarships: Femi Gbede Law School Scholarship and the Age of Legal Scholars Law School Competition hosted by the Trusted Advisors LP.
Which one was easier, Law School or UNILAG?
It depends. Since Law School was just for nine months, I would say it is a bit easier since one only needs to give it the best shot that one time.
It could also be said that university was easier since one can always improve on one’s cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in subsequent semesters.
Share your experience of appearing in court?
I have not appeared as a counsel in court as I am currently in the Banking and Finance Team at Aluko & Oyebode.
Who is Joshua Adeyeye?
I hail from Modakeke, Ife East Local Government, Osun State. My dad (late) hailed from Osun while my mum is from Kwara State.
