FUTO's first-class graduate reveals why he will always be a plumber

Gabriel Eze, a first-class graduate from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, (FUTO) Imo state said he will always be a plumber.

The 23-year-old graduate of Petroleum Engineering said he learned plumbing for over 4 years.

During an interview with Punch, he explained that financial constraints prompted him to learn plumbing when he was 14 years old and in SS1.

“I was in Secondary School, in SS1, when I began to develop an interest in plumbing vocation. I enrolled into a plumbing apprenticeship which lasted for approximately four years or a little bit more than that.”

Eze, who graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 4.65, said that he made N17,000 from his first plumbing job.

He further stated that his knowledge helped him while studying petroleum engineering.

“Maybe the plumbing vocation helped too because Petroleum Engineering involves the movement of fluids, natural gas, and pipelines. I was already familiar with the movement of water in pipes, and the movement of waste products which are largely liquid and semi-solid. So, I already understood fluid dynamics, and that helped me. There is a connection between Petroleum Engineering and what I know about plumbing.”

Eze said despite graduating with a first-class, he will always plumber.

“No. Not graduating with a first-class (degree) doesn’t mean failure. Even people with third-class degrees are still working with it, provided they’re focused, diligent, and can prove their worth, though I will always be a plumber.”