Right now, FUTA (Federal University of Technology, Akure) is trending — and not because of a major breakthrough, academic excellence or innovation. It’s trending because one former student finally shared a painful story that many others are now saying reflects a much bigger problem.
It all started after Nigerians took to social media to celebrate Michelle Alozie — the Super Falcons star who is not only an elite footballer but also a molecular biologist and cancer research technician based in Texas. Her ability to combine sports and science without dropping the ball in either inspired many, sparking conversations around student-athletes and academic support systems.
That conversation is what pushed Daniel Falonipe to finally share his own story — a far cry from the Michelle Alozie narrative, and one that exposed the dark side of what students sometimes face within Nigerian universities.
In 2013, Daniel was representing FUTA at the Nigeria University Games, and he didn’t just participate — he won a gold medal for the school. It should have been a proud moment. Instead, it became the beginning of an academic nightmare.
Despite having an official exemption letter from the Senate, one lecturer, Dr. Oludele Thomas from the Estate Management Department, still gave him an F in ESM 315 — a compulsory 1-unit course that involved a field trip.
His reason? He “didn’t care” about the letter. He claimed his class was more important than anything else — including representing the university and winning.
As if failing Daniel wasn’t enough, when he returned to retake the course during an extra year, Oludele gave him a very unusual “condition” to pass: he had to carry chairs by hand from the old building to the new one — a long, uphill trip across campus. Apparently, this was his way of making Daniel “fulfil the requirement” and “pay” for missing the field trip.
Let that sink in: a student brought home a gold medal for the school — and got punished with manual labor for it.
But the challenges didn’t stop there.
Fast forward to Daniel’s 500 level, and he got another huge opportunity: to be one of just three Nigerians chosen to attend the Global Youth Consultation for the World Humanitarian Summit — a prestigious global event.
Unfortunately, the event clashed with his final paper, ESM 502. Already having spent an extra year in FUTA, Daniel had a difficult choice: skip the event and graduate on time, or go for it and risk facing more threats.
He chose to go.
The then HOD, Prof. Bello, was reportedly furious and made all sorts of threats. But Daniel didn’t back down. He traveled for the event — and according to him, that one trip opened more doors for him than his BSc. certificate ever could.
Looking back, it’s clear Daniel’s story is not just about one bad lecturer — it’s about a toxic academic culture that punishes ambition when it doesn’t follow the rules. Since he shared his experience online, other FUTA alumni have come forward with similar stories.
One former student said he was failed for submitting an exam an hour early — the lecturer felt insulted. Others talked about being punished for excelling outside the classroom, whether in sports, competitions, or research.
Many now agree: if Daniel had challenged Oludele back then, he might never have graduated at all.
And that’s the heart of the conversation: how many brilliant students have been set back — not by failure, but by a system that resents success outside the classroom?
Michelle Alozie’s story may have inspired many — but Daniel’s has exposed how far we still have to go.
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–Deeprows News
