‘‘I Studied At least 2hrs, Every Three Days’’ – 15-Year-Old Stuns Kwara with 362 UTME Score

By Omowumi Omotosho and Bamidele Aremu

In a year where over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), one name is rising above the noise—Garuba Mubarak, a 15-year-old student who would clock 16 by September 2, 2025, from University of Ilorin Secondary School, Adewole, who stunned Kwarans with a remarkable score of 362.

Mubarak, delivered near-perfect scores in three out of four subjects: in Mathematics, he got 98, Physics, 98, Chemistry: 98 and English 68.

Mubarak while speaking to National Pilot on Sunday, credited his success to the support of his grandfather, Mr. Garuba Saliu, a mathematician who played a pivotal role in guiding his academic journey.

“He encourages me a lot,” he said with a modest smile.

When asked how he felt about the score, the teenager simply replied: “It was quite good. That’s all I can say.”

Mubarak with his father, Eng. Garuba 

Interestingly, Mubarak’s study routine is not what you would expect from a top scorer. He studied at least two hours at a time, and not even daily.

“I knew I would score more than 300. I read at least two hours, at three days intervals,” he said.

The teenager, when asked about the challenges he encountered before and during his examination, he simply said: “anxiety” and he conquered it by calming himself.

About his ambition, Mubarak told National Pilot that his eyes are set on studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ilorin.

Also, while with National Pilot, Mubarak’s father, Engineer Garuba Bashir, was full of joy as he described his son’s work ethic.

“My son studies very hard, he wakes up in the night. Sometimes I’m the one that will ask him to even go and sleep at night.

“So, when he started with the JAMB mock exam and he scored 346, I then promised him that if he score a higher mark, even if it is one mark above that mark, I’m going to reward him abundantly.

“When he went for the JAMB exam proper and got back, I asked him how it went. He said though it was a bit tough, but he did his best. I told him if you score 300, I’m still going to reward you for that. So, lo and behold, when I checked his result that Friday morning, and I saw 362, I was so happy and I really thank God Almighty for His grace,” he said.

Engineer Bashir, who prioritizes education above all else, shared that he regularly sacrifices personal comfort to invest in his children’s learning. He said:

“Once I’m paid, the first person I settle is the lesson teacher. Even before food,” he said passionately.

The joyous father while describing his son stated that the young boy took after his grandfather who is mathematician.

“I wouldn’t say he took after me. He took after my own dad. He’s still alive and the credit goes to him. He’s a mathematician. So, and all of us, majority of us in the family, we are science oriented,” he said.