Fatima Akinola: Graduating with a First Class in Mathematics was Natural

Excelling in Mathematics has always been natural for Fatima Akinola. From coming first in the Cowbell Mathematics Competition in Sokoto state, Fatima went all out to blaze the trail at Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, graduating in 2017 breaking a 42-year-old record in the process, as no female has achieved such a feat.

She recently emerged as the best student in her American University Masters degree with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 out of 4.0 in Mathematics at Marshall University, USA. Speaking in this interview with NRTC, Fatima – the first of eleven children – talks about how she had to study Maths at the university, the support of her parents and her plans for the future.

Born and Bred in Sokoto

First of all, congratulations on your achievement and for making Nigeria proud. Can you please tell us more about yourself?

Fatima:  You already know my name. I am Fatima Akinola. I am the first child of my parents. I was born and raised in Sokoto state but my parents are from Ede, Osun state, so I am Hausa and Yoruba (laughs).

Brilliant! I guess you speak Hausa fluently?

Fatima: Yes I do.

What year did you graduate from Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto?

Fatima: I graduated in 2017.

I have studied in Sokoto and it is one of the best places I have ever lived. I have always said it to everyone but I don’t know if Sokoto is still the way it used to be?

Fatima: It is still as beautiful, peaceful, and homely, as it used to be. So, it is still the same.

So, can you run me through your growing up – your education, the primary and secondary schools you went to in Sokoto?

Fatima: I went to Federal Government College, Sokoto. They have the federal government college and they have the staff school, that is, the primary part. That was where I started my education. I was there up till JSS3. So I was there till 2009. Then I moved to Kano state for my senior secondary education at the Nigerian Turkish Girls College.

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The school you are referring to, is it a private secondary school?

Fatima: I would say so. Yes.

Brilliant: So, from there you proceeded to Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. Why Mathematics? (laughs)

Fatima: Well, I never actually sat down and said this is what I wanted to do. In my secondary school, I represented my school at the Cowbell Mathematics Competition. So, since a young age, it has been something that has been fun for me. I came first in the Cowbell competition in Sokoto state. Then I went to Lagos for the same competition and I can’t even remember the number I finished with. (laughs). And then we had other competitions that we went to. The mathematical association of Nigeria had a competition for secondary school students in Ibadan and I was also there. I had a lot of different encounters with mathematics because I was always good at it.

Going Viral and Getting Paparazzied

Stumbled onto your viral post on Twitter and it brought a personal joy considering the current state of our country. It was good to see someone making Nigeria proud. How did the post go viral?

Fatima: (laughs) It was all my sister. She put it all out there and I did not expect all the paparazzi that came with it. It wasn’t just anything that I bothered myself with because I didn’t just put it out there. 

Well, I think it is just inspiring. Thanks to your sister for making it go viral. Even though you didn’t intend it this way, I think it would inspire a lot of girls, especially Muslim girls as well. For you to have scored a perfect 4.0 out of 4.0 for your Masters in the US is a great achievement. You must feel very good and proud?

Fatima: (laughs) Some people ask me this question, how did you do it? In all honesty, I don’t even know what to say because everything came really naturally. I can’t say this is what I did, that I read 24/7 or I did this or I did that because honestly, I didn’t do anything.

Would you say that there is a part of your brain that just understands maths as most peoples brain can’t? (laughs)

Fatima: Exactly! (laughs)

I am sure you have other things lined up for you. When did you move to the U.S to study for your Masters?

Fatima: It was in 2019. I came in 2019.

And you are already trailblazing and putting Nigeria on the map. That’s really good. Well done to you!

Inspiration, Influences and Role Modelling

So, what would you say inspired you into mathematics and who are your biggest influences?

Fatima: My dad is a chemical engineer and I just grew up just really admiring what he did and he took me to this cement company where he worked in Northern Nigeria. I used to live there as a kid and always admired what he did and I always wanted to be an engineer but he wanted me to be a doctor (laughs). All parents want that for their children and I applied for that in actuality and my first admission was Agriculture. I didn’t want to stay at home so I accepted the admission. The second time I took Jamb again, they gave me Math and Usman Danfodio also gave me Math and I told my dad that I am not doing jamb again and since I have always been good at Math. I told my dad, why don’t I just go for it.

Good! You see, you sometimes need to put your foot down. (laughs) That is a lesson for a lot of young people coming after you. I am sure your parents are in support of what you are doing. Initially, did your parents kick against your decision?

Fatima: My parents supported me. There wasn’t any time when they said, ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’.

How many siblings do you have? You said you were the oldest amongst them.

Fatima: (laughs) I am the oldest of eleven children. (laughs)

Amazing! And they couldn’t have found a better role model. Your parents must be really proud of you?

Fatima: My sister who posted about it is currently in Edinburg. She is studying architecture (laughs).

Maybe when she gets her own first class, we will get to interview her. What do you have lined up next?

Fatima: I am starting my PhD in August this year.

You don’t waste time at all. Very soon I will have to call you a doctor because I can’t just call you Fatima. How long will it take?

Fatima: It should take me about five years. That’s the max.

How do you stay motivated and overcome challenges?

Fatima: I have my support system and my parents. But what I think is important for me is that I am my biggest motivator. I know what I want for myself and I just strive to keep it up for me. I just wanted to make my parents proud. Yes, my mom calls me every day and she prays for me. She is so happy and everything but in the end, I am proud of myself because it is me that will always do the work for me. 

So, when I was in Usman Dan Fodio, I wasn’t always a first-class student. My first year was just like when you get into the university and you play around and enjoy yourself because you are now in the university. So, I had an F in my first year. And I did not deserve an F and I retook the course in my second year and got an A. That was the big determining factor for me.

Was that the moment everything came together, when you note that if you put in more effort, you can be better?

Fatima: I can’t remember vividly what happened but in my second year, I had just one B and I knew that I had this in me to do this. And I told myself that I had to just keep going. So, I decided to just remain on my GPA or just not go down.

Using Failure As Fuel For Success

What you are saying here is very deep. It just tells us that when we fail, it could be the trigger for us to achieve excellence. Isn’t it?

Fatima: I remember crying in my mom’s bedroom when I got that F and I met my dad and said, I know I didn’t do this and he said ‘no, you got to do this the next time. And yes, that was what actually pushed me because you know when you calculate your GPA and you are repeating a class, it adds to the numerator but it doesn’t add to the denominator. So, that was what pushed me into the range of a first-class.

Amazing story! This shows there is always a second chance to atone for failures. A lot of what you have highlighted here will surely inspire a lot of people. Hopefully, as you go higher, we hope that you will achieve more success. We aim to celebrate Nigerians like you on our platform, to inspire others too. Thanks for your time.

Fatima: Thanks for making this also very comfortable because it takes a lot for me to talk without being nervous about things like this.

Thanks for your time Fatima. I appreciate it.

Fatima: Thank you too.