By Oladepo Matthew Olatunbosun
Sometimes, the places we end up are not the places we once imagined. The road to achieving a dream can take an unexpected turn, leading us to destinations we never considered, people we never expected to meet and experiences that eventually shape who we become.
For me, that unexpected destination is Maiduguri.
I never dreamed of studying in Maiduguri. After completing my secondary education and sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, my mind was set on continuing my education. I had already spent considerable time at home, and the desire to return to school grew stronger by the day.
I wanted to move forward. I wanted to study. I wanted to begin another chapter of my life.
But I never imagined that chapter would begin in Maiduguri.
The idea of travelling from the South-West to the North for university education was not part of the plan I had created for myself. Like many young people, I had expectations about where I wanted to study and how I wanted my academic journey to unfold.
Maiduguri was not the city I pictured myself waking up in as an undergraduate.
Then came the opportunity to gain admission into the University of Maiduguri.
At first, there were questions.
Why Maiduguri? Why the North? Could I really adapt to a place so far from home?
But as much as I questioned the destination, my desire for education was stronger. I eventually chose to go.
It was a decision I made without knowing exactly what awaited me.
Today, I can look back and say that the decision changed more than my academic direction. It changed my perception of unexpected opportunities.
When an unexpected destination becomes home
My first experience of Maiduguri was shaped by unfamiliarity. The environment, people and culture were different from what I had known. But with time, what was once unfamiliar gradually became familiar.
The University of Maiduguri became more than an institution that gave me admission. It became a place where I began to learn about independence, relationships, adaptation and personal growth.
I met people from different backgrounds and encountered experiences that challenged some of the assumptions I had before coming to the city.
Most importantly, I discovered that my story was not unique.
As I spoke with other students, I found that several of them had also arrived at the University of Maiduguri through paths they had not originally planned.
For some, it was the advice of another person. For others, admission circumstances redirected their plans. Some struggled to adapt, while others discovered that even a university they deliberately chose could present unexpected challenges.
Their experiences revealed a common lesson: the destination may be unexpected, but what we make of the journey is often within our control.
A neighbour’s advice changed Israel’s direction
For Israel Taiwo, a Nursing Science student, the journey to the University of Maiduguri was influenced by a neighbour who had been there before.
Taiwo said he was advised by the neighbour to consider the university, a recommendation that eventually brought him to Maiduguri.
Although his journey was different from mine, his experience has also become a story of adaptation.
Reflecting on his time at the university, Taiwo said he felt blessed to have met new people and learned how to adapt to different situations.
His experience demonstrates how an opportunity that begins with someone else’s advice can eventually become a meaningful chapter in one’s life.
When JAMB changes the plan
For Amos Williams Peter, a Mass Communication student, the journey to Maiduguri was largely influenced by his JAMB score.
Peter, who came from Osun State in the South-West, said his score of 211 made gaining admission into his preferred institution and course difficult because of the competitiveness of education in his home state.
Rather than remain at home, he changed his institution to the University of Maiduguri because he met the cut-off requirement for his course.
What initially appeared to be a compromise eventually became an experience he does not regret.
“I have never regretted coming here; it was worth it,” Peter said.
His experience at UNIMAID has exposed him to friends, lecturers and course mates whom he described as wonderful people.
Beyond the classroom, however, Peter said his greatest lesson was that distance from home should not determine how far a person can go.
He said being far from home does not stop one’s potentials, dreams or goals, provided one remains focused and takes life seriously.
For a young man who travelled from Osun State to Borno State, the journey has become proof that opportunity does not always come in the form we expect.
After repeated attempts, Mary found a reason to stay
For Alabi Mary Bunmi, an Industrial Chemistry student, the road to UNIMAID was preceded by several unsuccessful attempts to gain admission.
After writing JAMB several times without securing admission, a friend encouraged her to apply to the University of Maiduguri.
She never imagined herself studying in Maiduguri, but the decision eventually changed her perspective.
Looking back, Bunmi believes her arrival at the university was also part of God’s plan.
“I never imagined myself studying in Maiduguri, but here I am,” she said, adding that she believes there is a reason God brought her to the city.
However, accepting the destination did not mean that adapting to it was easy.
For Bunmi, the weather was one of the biggest challenges. The intense heat, cold and unfamiliar environment took years to become accustomed to. Even after years in the city, she admitted that she sometimes still feels she is adapting.
But the difficulties taught her lessons beyond academics.
Maiduguri, she said, has taught her about growth, resilience and adjusting to new situations.
Her experience reinforces the idea that personal growth does not always happen in comfortable places. Sometimes, it begins when circumstances force us to adjust to an environment we never imagined calling our own.
When the dream destination also becomes difficult
Not every student I interviewed came to UNIMAID unexpectedly.
Fatima Bala, a Biochemistry student in the Faculty of Life Sciences, actually planned to study at the University of Maiduguri.
Her story provides a different perspective.
While her arrival at UNIMAID was intentional, her academic journey did not always go according to plan.
Bala said her undergraduate experience initially progressed smoothly. However, when she entered 200 level, the academic demands became considerably tougher.
Courses that had appeared relatively simple in 100 level began to require greater effort and deeper understanding. The difficulty became so intense that she considered changing her department.
But she did not give up.
Instead, she turned to consistent reading, hard work and determination.
Gradually, she began to adapt to the demands of the higher level.
Beyond the academic struggle, Bala said she has also found the people at the university to be nice and friendly.
Her experience carries an important lesson: even when we deliberately choose our destination, the journey itself can still test our determination.
Beyond admission
The stories of these students show that university life is about much more than receiving an admission letter.
For some students, admission represents a second chance after several unsuccessful attempts. For others, it is the result of circumstances such as JAMB scores, advice from others or the availability of a place to study.
But after admission comes another journey—the journey of adapting, surviving, learning and growing.
Maiduguri has brought students from different parts of Nigeria together. They arrive with different expectations, backgrounds and dreams, yet many find themselves facing similar questions.
Can I adapt?
Can I succeed far from home?
Can I overcome academic difficulties?
Can I make friends in an unfamiliar environment?
The answers are not always immediate.
For me, the answer has come gradually.
I have learned that a destination does not have to be part of one’s original dream before it can become meaningful. Sometimes, we understand the value of a place only after we have experienced it.
The road I did not plan
There are still moments when I wonder what my life would have looked like if I had studied somewhere else.
Perhaps things would have been different.
Perhaps some aspects would have been easier.
But I have learned not to spend too much time mourning roads I never travelled.
Instead, I choose to appreciate the road I am on.
The University of Maiduguri was not the institution I imagined when I thought about my future. Maiduguri was not the city I had pictured as part of my university life.
Yet here I am.
And perhaps that is the irony of life’s journey: sometimes, the places we never planned to go become the places where we discover parts of ourselves we never knew existed.
My story is not simply about gaining admission into the University of Maiduguri. It is about learning to embrace an unexpected opportunity.
Israel’s story is about advice and adaptation.
Amos’ is about turning an admission challenge into an opportunity.
Mary’s is about perseverance, faith and resilience.
Fatima’s is about discovering that even a chosen destination requires hard work and determination.
Different journeys. Different reasons. One destination.
Maiduguri.
Today, I no longer see the University of Maiduguri merely as the place where I happened to gain admission.
I see it as a chapter of my life.
A chapter I did not write exactly as I had imagined, but one I am learning to appreciate.
I did not choose Maiduguri as the destination of my dreams.
But somewhere along the journey, Maiduguri became part of my story.
Oladepo Matthew Olatunbosun is student Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri