- Michael Okpala, a Faculty of Arts student at the University of Ilorin, shared a list of 13 achievements he recorded throughout his four-year university career
- Okpala won multiple writing and filmmaking awards, including Scholar of the Year, Writer of the Year, and SU Filmmaker and Director of the Year 2026
- The graduating student also revealed that he never went broke throughout his four years in university, though he kept his financial formula a secret
Michael Okpala, a graduating Faculty of Arts student at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has sparked widespread admiration online after sharing a detailed thread of 13 achievements he accumulated over four years of university life.
Writing on LinkedIn in October 2026, Okpala looked back on a university career that began in his first year and grew into an impressive streak of academic, creative, and leadership recognition.
Source: UGC
UNILORIN best graduating arts student celebrates wins
Okpala's first major win came as a 100-level student, when he won the Faculty of Arts Essay Writing Contest in 2023 and was subsequently named Faculty of Arts President for a week. By his own account, he spent that week collecting accolades, describing the experience as one of the most exciting of his university life.
Still in his first year, he went on to win the Student Union Essay Writing Contest in the Poetry Category with a piece titled "A Pinch of Chaos." He described the recognition as especially meaningful because it came at university level while he was still a freshman.
He also placed in the UNILORIN TIM Healthcare Writing Contest that same year and was honoured as both Departmental Fresher of the Year 2023 and Faculty Writer of the Year 2023.
As his years progressed, Okpara moved between writing, theatre, film, and direction. He noted that across all his performing arts practicals, spanning drama, dance, and music, he either directed, choreographed, composed, or held a leading creative role, and that the results were consistently strong. He singled out the PFA 102 practical as a defining memory, recalling that he broke down in tears the moment a professor awarded an A as the play opened, overwhelmed by the weight of the risk he had taken with his own creativity.
Further recognition followed. He won Best Supporting Actor after the 499 season of 2025, premiered his first independently produced feature film titled "OYIGIYIGI," and became the only student to stage a Western Drama in PFA 499 for 2026, a production in which he taught his cast members Latin.
By 2026, Okpara had been named SU Filmmaker and Director of the Year, Face of PASA, Scholar of the Year, and Writer of the Year at departmental level. He also received a nomination for Best Writer at the Theatre Students Awards.
Closing his LinkedIn post with characteristic humour, Okpara revealed that he never went broke across all four years of university, noting that his financial formula exists but will remain a secret.
Reactions trail UNILORIN best faculty graduate's post
Sunus Adam, one of the people Okpara mentioned in his post, commented:
"There's none like Michael. The sky is merely the beginning!"
Faridah Odekunle added:
"I saw this first on Twitter, mehnn, Congratulations again, Boss!"
In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan, while another graduate staged a one-man protest over unemployment.
LASU BGS shares admission experience
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos State University's (LASU) best graduating student opened up about her admission experience.
In an insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young lady shared her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals.
Source: Legit.ng