From First-Class Mind to ₦7 Million Triumph: Soludo Celebrates Young Economist Who Walked in His Footsteps.

It was a moment of pride, déjà vu, and life-changing reward.

On April 26, 2026, inside the ETF Auditorium, a young man named Umeh Augustus Somtochukwu stood before the graduating class of his university. He wasn't just another graduate. He was the best — the Overall Best Graduating Student of the University, with a stunning CGPA of 4.85, and a First-Class degree in Economics.

But what made the moment even more special was who was watching.

Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State — himself a former Economics star student decades ago — saw his own younger self in Somtochukwu. In fact, the Governor also graduated as the best student in the same Department of Economics. That parallel didn't go unnoticed.

Moved by this remarkable echo of excellence, Soludo didn't just offer a handshake. He rolled out a reward that would change Somtochukwu’s life:

· ₦4 million cash prize

· A guaranteed job

· A fully funded scholarship from Master’s to Ph.D at any public university of his choice

And that wasn’t all. Before the ceremony ended, other monetary gifts poured in, pushing Somtochukwu’s total reward for the day to roughly ₦7 million.

In his valedictory speech, the soft-spoken but determined young man shared how, in his first year, many students avoided Economics because of how tough it seemed. But he made a conscious choice: to build value around himself and his discipline.

That choice, he said, was shaped by the university’s 3Vs agenda — Values, Viability, and Visibility — championed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha. And in the end, his story proved one thing: Excellence isn’t an accident. It’s intentional. It rewards those who show up, stand out, and stay the course.

Congratulations to Umeh Augustus Somtochukwu. And hats off to a Governor who remembers where he came from — and lifts others onto the same path.