A visually impaired freshman at the University of Lagos, Ogunsua-Dixon Tijesuni, has recounted how she survived a brain tumour, multiple surgeries and years of rehabilitation to emerge as the country’s best matriculating candidate in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Equal Opportunity Group for Persons with Disabilities.
Tijesuni, a 100-level Mass Communication student, spoke exclusively with The PUNCH on Monday, after she was recently honoured at the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, where she was recognised alongside six other outstanding matriculants from the 2025 admission exercise.
The Ondo State-born student scored 288 in the 2025 UTME and recorded an aggregate score of 81.2 per cent to emerge top in the disability category.
She said her ordeal began at the age of 11, when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour while in Junior Secondary School 2.
Tijesuni said, “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour at age 11. At that point, I had lost partial function of my left limb. My parents did not want to disrupt my education, so they asked me to wait until after secondary school before undergoing surgery,” she said.
