In a world where academic excellence is sometimes undervalued or considered unimportant, an African Giant Ufot Ekong, a genius from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, has made a name for himself in the world of Mathematics and Engineering. The genius not only broke a 50-year-old record in Tokai University, Japan, he solved a mathematical equation that had remained unsolved for 30 years, wrote his name in the history books of Tokai University. Let’s take a closer look at the life, struggles, and achievements of this exceptional young man.
According to him, his love for mathematics began when he was 10 years old, and he was introduced to the world of numbers by his father. He was determined to make a difference in a world where Nigeria is often overlooked for its bright young minds. He proved himself right by solving the mathematical equation that had remained unsolved for three decades during his first semester at Tokai University.
Despite his brilliance and natural talent for mathematics, Ufot Ekong funded his education by working odd jobs such as cooking, cleaning and serving in restaurants. He also took on house cleaning gigs and worked as a night watchman to pay his way through school since he did not have any private or government sponsorship. His passion for mathematics and innovative engineering was what kept him motivated and focused on his dreams.
In 2015, Ufot graduated from Tokai University with first-class honours and was the best graduating student in Engineering and best GPA of 5.0 in what the school had seen in 50yrs. He won the President’s Award, the most prestigious award in the school’s history. Ufot was the first African to win such an award. Furthermore, Ekong received the Overall Best Graduating Student award and six other academic excellence awards.
This impressive accomplishment is just one of many achievements in Ekong’s educational and professional career; he was a senior member of multiple research teams that helped make several patents and manufactured an electric car capable of reaching 128kmph, and co-founded Strictly African Japan, a retail and accessories shop in Japan that promotes African culture.
Ufot Ekong’s journey to becoming the best was not without its challenges. It took him hard work, dedication, and a strong will to succeed. He faced difficulties such as financial constraints, language barriers, culture shock, among others, yet, he never gave up. He stayed focused on his ultimate goal, and he eventually achieved it.
Despite the lack of African governments investment in education and scholarships for students from low-income families to support and promote academic excellence. Some Africans, such as Ufot Ekong’s have remained relentless to strive towards excellence in their chosen fields. If the young man could achieve such feats with no support at all, imagine what these young minds could achieve with the necessary support to reach their full potentials.
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