Bala Magaji, a 45-year-old father of seven on Saturday emerged the best graduating student of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) for the 2018/19 academic year.

Bala Magaji, NOUN’s best graduating student

Magaji, who was showered with encomiums at the 8th convocation ceremony of the university in Abuja graduated in Islamic Studies.

Married to two wives, Magaji told Premium Times in an interview that university degree is not cheap or easy but can open doors to great benefits.

“I feel very happy and excited today and I will recommend the school because it is one of the best in the country and it has rich materials”, he said.

Asked how he combined his academics and marriage, he said ”I had to tell my wife to sacrifice every time she said she needed me and that is why I had to praise and thank her in my speech.

”I had the feeling that I will perform exceedingly well so I created time to study and I ensured I understood all I read. On the average, I read two to three hours daily and had lots of sleepless night,” he said.

Mr Magaji recorded a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.8.

Meanwhile, Premium Times reports that Magaji currently works at Unity Bank and he has a previous degree in Zoology from the University of Jos and a Masters degree in Banking and Finance from Bayero University, Kano.