AFRICA | A brilliant Nigerian doctor named Chukwudi Olewuezi has made history by graduating as the best medical student with a perfect 5.00/5.00 cumulative grade point average from Siberian State Medical University.
In doing so, he became the first Nigerian to graduate from the prestigious Russian institution since its establishment in 1888, breaking a 143-year record.
Chukwudi's Story and How He Did It
His journey did not begin in Russia. It started in Nigeria, at Air Force Comprehensive School, Enugu, where he first nurtured the dream of studying abroad.
After secondary school, he sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), not once, but twice. He scored 247 the first time and 260 the second time.
Yet, despite these strong scores, he was unable to secure admission into a Nigerian university. For many students, that would have marked the end of the dream. For Chukwudi, it became the turning point.
Instead of surrendering to disappointment, he chose to redirect his ambition beyond Nigeria’s borders. Interestingly, medicine was not always his original career plan.
As a technical/science student, he initially considered engineering. However, Chukwudi later realized his passion did not align with heavy mathematical disciplines. When it was time to fill out his JAMB form, he opted for Human Anatomy.
But his mother encouraged him to aim even higher.“Why not go for medicine? Don’t be scared,” she told him.
He admits he was afraid of the competition. But that conversation changed everything. From that moment, he began envisioning himself as a future oncologist. “In a way, medicine chose me,” he reflected.
His journey to Russia began with careful research and conversations with a Russian-trained medical doctor. When he finally arrived in Tomsk, he stepped into a city where very few Africans had studied years earlier.
Most Nigerian students preferred western Russia, but Chukwudi found himself in Siberia, a region known for its extreme winters.
He often recalls how his sister wisely purchased a heavy winter jacket for him before departure, a simple act that proved essential upon arrival at the peak of winter.
His academic path in Russia started at Tomsk Polytechnic University, where he studied the Russian language alongside foundational science subjects, all taught in Russian.
Mastering medicine is already rigorous; mastering it in a foreign language made it more difficult. After completing his preparatory studies, he transitioned to the Siberian State Medical University to begin his full medical training.
Founded in 1888, the university has trained generations of medical professionals for over a century. For Chukwudi to graduate with a flawless 5.00/5.00 CGPA places him at the absolute peak of academic excellence in one of Russia’s oldest medical institutions.
His performance earned him recognition as the best graduating medical student. And breaking a 143-year barrier as the first Nigerian graduate from the institution adds historic weight to his accomplishment.
Behind his achievement is the quiet strength of his mother. Now a pensioner, Chukwudi’s mother worked tirelessly to ensure her children were educated despite the family not being wealthy.
His elder brother holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning, and his sister is a civil engineer with a Master’s in Education. “My mother is the story of my success,” he says.
As the last of three children, he understands the depth of sacrifice required to fund medical school abroad. Her belief in education became the foundation upon which he built his global dream.
Today, Dr. Olewuezi stands not just as a Nigerian graduate in Russia, but as proof that global excellence can rise from local disappointment
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