INTERVIEW SESSION WITH PRIMETIME: UNICAL first class graduate, Providence Eziedo, relieves memories admist tears of joy

“I can never forget people who mocked me right from my primary school days to the University…”

INTERVIEW WITH PROVIDENCE CHINELO EZEIDO
Intro:
As far as the University of Calabar in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria, is concerned, Providence Chinelo Ezeido is a historic figure and a record breaker. History will forever be kind to her and she will remain a reference point to generations beyond her. A torch bearer, her star shone so brightly within the academic firmament of her country. Providence recently, made history as the first student in the Department of Soil Science, University of Calabar, to bag a first class degree. According to her, the rare feat did not come cheap. “My life has not always been rosy.” However, she ascribed her success to God. “God always came through for me…” With this unprecedented achievement, Providence remains a shinning light, a trail Blazer and a Pathfinder to the university Community in particular, and the world in general. In this interview with PRIMETIME NEWS, Providence relieve some unforgettable memories of growing up days that shaped her, some of the secrets to her success as well as her aspirations for the future.

PRIMETIME: Can you lead us into your world?
PROVIDENCE: My name is Providence Eziedo and I am from Enugu State. I am a Product Designer, Webflow Developer and IT Support Specialist. I am also an Entrepreneur, Creative Director, Zinergy Ford, a thriving printing and branding company that has grown over the years and serviced thousands of customers. I recently graduated from University of Calabar, as the first person to bag a First Class honours in the department of Soil Science since its inception in 1980’s. As hectic as this was, I started my business in school and went through the struggling years of building my company while still studying. Honestly, my life has not always been rosy. From childhood I have had to deal with the loss of a father; but that pain and the struggles that followed built a tenacity and strong determination in me that has helped me scale through my worst days.
If there is one thing I can never fail to miss, it is the fact that God always came through for me, no matter how broken I was. Whatever I am now and hope to be, I owe it all to Him!

PRIMETIME: Can you share a few unforgettable memories of growing up days that shaped you?
PROVIDENCE: I lost my father at the age of 6. I saw all the efforts of my mother who trained me 18 years after I lost my dad. She handled the duties of both a father and mother. This experience shaped me to become more responsible, multitasking and focused. Also, I can never forget people who mocked me right from my primary school days to the University. They threw stones at me and I am still gathering them to build a castle. Those experiences taught me to focus on myself and continue to win, despite the many naysayers.

PRIMETIME: Why did you choose to read Soil Science in the University?
PROVIDENCE: It was not my first choice. It is a long story, I cannot go into details now.

PRIMETIME: How did you feel when you heard the news of your record breaking achievement as a first class scholar of Department of Soil Science in the University of Calabar and what does it mean to you?
PROVIDENCE: After defending my project, I knew I will graduate with a distinction because I was always keeping track of my CGPA. So, hearing the news later on was not new to me. However, I felt exhilarated when some people broke the news to me. I acted surprised but I was not To me, it means that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to do it. Initially, some people never believed I will make it. “It is impossible to make a first class in Soil Science. People tried for over 30 years but could not make it”. So many people doubted me. They tried to discourage me. Now, most of them are celebrating this little achievement. This taught me a life lesson. I learnt never to doubt myself. Just stay focused. What is worth doing is with doing well.

PRIMETIME: What is your life’s greatest aspiration?
PROVIDENCE: To become a solution to my generation. The daily realization that I have unlimited potentials and the capacity to grow beyond my dreams, with God’s help. As a little girl, there were dreams and wishes that felt so beyond me; hoping for them was like reaching for the moon. But something I have learnt that has greatly helped me is that first, your dreams are valid no matter your background, and with strong determination and God’s help, you can be whoever you want to be and do amazing things! Seeing how far I have come and tasting the possibilities of the future, I want to be a great inspiration to young ladies. I will say that being the first ever to bag a First Class in my department is a win for women! And doing that while establishing my company shows that with all the pressure society puts on us women, we can still do great things, if we believe!
While in school and even after, I frequently organized practical classes to train young ladies in food production, digital branding and marketing, cosmetics production etc. One of my biggest fulfillments so far is seeing the many growing companies that were established after those classes and are still running till date! This is what I want to be to women: a living example that nothing is impossible!

PRIMETIME: Can you let us into your social life?
PROVIDENCE: I am introverted. I am not big on social activities. However, I love volunteering, going to the movies with friends, and also visiting the beach.

PRIMETIME: What plans do you have for your future?
PROVIDENCE: I have so many plans, some of which are very personal to me. For the ones I can share, I have plans to open a Tech School for teens and youths to learn tech skills. I would have loved it to be a general skill acquisition centre but my love for tech may make me focus on Tech Education only. Let’s see how that goes though. Also, I plan to further my studies to PhD level, gain more knowledge and use the knowledge to impact the society.

PRIMETIME: What is your perception about the present condition of things in your country?
PROVIDENCE: I am not happy with the present condition of things in my country, Nigeria. Our economic potential is constrained and being affected by so many factors. People are going through a lot. Insecurity, inflation, rising unemployment, Strike etc. Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, can become great again. We can make this country work again by getting our Permanent Voter’s Card to vote the best candidate in the forthcoming election. Change also starts with us.

PRIMETIME: If you were offered an opportunity to change anything in Nigeria, what would that be?
PROVIDENCE: I will reform the health sector in Nigeria. People have lost their loved ones because of the inaccessibility of quality health care. Mortality rate is very high. I will bring down the dilapidated structures and build modern hospitals with modern equipments in rural and urban areas. Provide adequate fundings to hospitals, employ qualified health care practitioners and encourage them better(to reduce brain drain).

PRIMETIME: How do you hope to give back to the society that made you?
PROVIDENCE: I have already started giving back to the society. Between 2020-2021, in my little capacity, I sponsored over 700 youths to learn different skills virtually. I brought in experts who taught them. Some of them have already set up businesses for themselves. Some of them are not even using their certificates at the moment, because they already started their businesses.However, I will do more. I want undergraduates to learn skills, and not just focus only on what they learnt in school. I plan on connecting these students with mentors and experts who will equip them with high paying skills that they can rely on even after graduation. They can also use these skills to raise up money to sponsor themselves while in school.
Why I am focused on skill acquisition is because, when I was still in school, I did not put in so much effort to learn new skills, I was rather focused on my small business and my studies only. I started learning new skills after I graduated in 2019. Three years down the line, I invested a whole lot to learn baking and pastries making, printing and branding, IT support, website and mobile app designs(UI/UX). These skills are what have been paying me.
So what if Providence brings up this free initiative to equip both undergraduates and graduates with skills they can use to set up themselves or become more employable?It will be great, right? I will do it.This will be my little way of giving back to the society.

PRIMETIME: Can you share some secrets of your academic successes?
PROVIDENCE: Yes I can gladly share! I corrected my mistakes: I did not start on a good note in school. I did not plan to graduate with a first class from my year one. I started my degree program officially in 2015 at the age of 17. I was quite young so I did not select my friends well. I spent more time gisting than concentrating on my studies so I ended up with a 3.6 GPA. When I found out that the kind of clique I was trying to form would mar me, I changed my circle completely.I set Goals: I knew I needed to put in more effort to scale up my 3.6 GPA to at least a 4.0 CGPA, so I started setting goals for myself. Before the start of each semester, I wrote out each courses and graded myself “A” in all courses. I worked towards my goals: I collected notebooks and past questions from my senior colleagues, so I was already prepared before each semester started. I bought text books too. I visited the library often to read lot and lots of text books. I read wide. I wasn’t focused on only what was taught in class. I tried as much as possible never to miss classes. I took all tests and assignment seriously because they had the power to affect my overall grade.
I answered exam questions with illustrations and added more points I got from the textbooks I read. It gave me an edge. You know, some lecturers said they used my scripts as reference for marking scheme because my answer sheets were so detailed. I taught others: Teaching others has a way of making you understand a topic better. I never ignored anyone who needed assistance in understanding a topic. In sum, most of the time I spent studying in “night class”, I spent time teaching and explaining to others.

PRIMETIME: Can you mention some of your role models and mentors?
PROVIDENCE: Rev. Evelyn Ngozi Eziedo, Prof. G. Solomon, Tony Elumelu, Folorunsho Alakija, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
PRIMETIME: What qualities do you look out for in your dream man?
PROVIDENCE: Integrity, Maturity, Ambition and Industriousness, Stability Confidence, and Spiritual Compatibility.
PRIMETIME: What advice do you have for your fellow youths?
PROVIDENCE:Invest in knowledge! There are so many dreams you have that will remain unachievable until you take the bold step to learn how to achieve it. But when you take that bold step to invest in knowledge, you discover that what seemed impossible before has now become an easy part of your life. This applies to your business ideas, your career and educational goals. Arm yourself with the necessary skill and knowledge so that when opportunities come, you will be ready to grab them!
When you see your mates complaining of a problem online, think of ways to solve that problem and you’ll have a profitable business. The mass unemployment in Nigeria means you have tons of skilled people eager to work: this gives you the opportunity to harness human resources and create businesses that even you are not qualified for!
This generation needs to realize that what will build today will set the pace for the next generation. So dream beyond your boundaries, have a voracious appetite for knowledge and be dating enough to take risky steps!

PRIMETIME: Thank you for granting us this interview and best wishes in your future pursuits.
PROVIDENCE: I am grateful for this opportunity.