Harvard University MBA Scholarship Program

From Makurdi to the Top 1%: Benedict Ater on Excellence, Pressure & Purpose

It’s a bright day in November in Nigeria, that familiar mix of soft harmattan breeze and gentle sunshine settling over the city. Against that backdrop, the Thrive Team sat down for an exclusive conversation with the Best Graduating Student of the Nigerian Law School Backlog Class of 2024/2025, Benedict Ater. What followed was a deeply insightful and inspiring dialogue about excellence, pressure, resilience, and purpose. We’re excited to share this conversation with you, and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed having it.Q: So nice to have you here on Thrive Trailblazers. Can we meet Benedict Ater, beyond the academic legacy? Who are you?A: Thank you; it’s a pleasure to be here. At my core, I’m someone who believes in showing up fully and giving my best to whatever is committed to my hands. Long before the grades or recognition, I’ve always had a natural drive for discipline, excellence, and doing even the small things with intention.From being called “the indomitable Ater” in primary school to navigating secondary school, university, and law school, that mindset has stayed consistent. Beyond academics, I’m someone who values purpose, meaningful relationships, healthy competition, and balance. Ultimately, I’m committed to growing, staying grounded, and honouring every opportunity with integrity and hard work.Q: Everyone sees the result, but let’s start with the roots. What personal experiences or values shaped your approach to excellence long before law school?A: Thank you very much for this question. I believe it is necessarily foundational. Excellence for me has been a lifestyle, a non-negotiable constant as far back as I remember. To trace the roots, I have to go as far back as primary school. Even then, I knew I had the instinct to put in my best shift in the tiniest responsibilities. I consistently topped my class, and I fondly remember my teacher grabbing me by the arms, raising me high and declaring me “the indomitable Ater” at every assembly session at the end of each term. I came to consciously make efforts to develop my attitude to be one of indomitability over obstacles and challenges. I took the same attitude to secondary school, then to university and ultimately law school. So long before law school, I developed the desire and ability to give my best shot. For me, it is about satisfying my conscience that I could not have done any better, so I easily come to terms with outcomes. In other words, an attitude for excellence affords me some measure of outcome independence. But the awesome thing about this mindset is it affords me the ability to hit consistent highs rather than settling for the bare minimum.Q:What was your why through it all, the internal reason that kept you grounded when things got tough?A: Throughout my journey, tough days have been abundant, I dare say even more regular than the really good ones. But I try to take each day as it comes and think about my goals, which keep me grounded and going. It is easy to get distraught and distracted when you lack definite goals or a concrete reason you do anything. For instance, if you don’t have a set outcome, tough times will have you negotiating whether you should settle for less.I knew I wanted to get a First Class from the law school. I also knew the program was just for nine months or less; somehow, the realization that I would be done with the program in nine months gave me the ability to summon extra strength when frustration tried to set in. My why is really about identifying my goal in a particular season and vigorously giving it all I have. I think of my goals as a shore I have to swim to while drowning at sea; there are very few, if any, alternatives in that situation than actually swimming to shore.THE LAW SCHOOL EXPERIENCE: BEYOND THE STEREOTYPEQ: Law school is often described as a marathon, not a sprint. What did endurance look like for you in practice?A: I think law school is a bit of both worlds. It is a marathon in a sense, but also a sprint in some others. There are times you will need the sense of urgency a sprint requires, and there are other times you will require the patience and strategy that characterise a marathon. Be that as it may, endurance for me was showing up every day, even when I had reason not to. It was long hours of studying. Endurance also meant having the wisdom to know when to rest and take a break. I took a nap and made sure I slept very well almost every day of my law school experience. Q: How did you balance the pressure to perform academically with the need to protect your peace and mental health?A: Pressure? The pressure was immense. I will give you a little backstory. I graduated from Benue State University, Makurdi. The Faculty of Law at the university was established in 1993. And since the inception of the faculty, only one person previously had a Bachelor of Law degree with first class honours, and that was in 2008. I became the second person ever in the history of the faculty to achieve the feat. You know, the unfortunate thing for me? The other person who had a first class in 2008 also made another first class at the law school. Naturally, the pressure was really on for me. In fact, one of my professors pointedly told me, “Ben, don’t go to law school and disgrace us.” For him, not getting a first class from law school meant I had disgraced the faculty. Everyone who knew me expected me to get a first class from law school. I mean, that was a lot of pressure. But I had learnt to reframe pressure, to morph the pressure to perform into motivation to go over and beyond. That was the same thing I did in the circumstances; I reframed that pressure into motivation and gave law school my best shot. I also tried not to think of the expectations and what they meant; I only allowed the expectations to drive me. That way, I kept my peace, and I dare say my mental health never took a direct hit.LEARNING, STRATEGY & DISCIPLINEQ: Did your study process evolve between the first term and Bar Finals?A: It did, but not much. Before I resumed law school, I took the time to watch lots of videos and read articles written by former law school students. That helped a lot. One prominent takeaway I had was the utility of taking studies seriously from the very first day of lectures. That’s exactly what I did. After every lecture, I read the topic taught for the day and made sure I understood the principles. I usually use weekends to revise the topics taught during the week. When it was closer to Bar finals, my focus was on testing my grasp of the topics across the various courses, practicing with past questions, having a firm grasp of the drafts and also practicing MCQs. So I would say my study process did evolve from having a broad understanding of the topics to ensuring surgical precision in my grasp of the core principles and refining that with practicing past questions.Q: Everyone says, “consistency is key,” but what does consistency really mean to you on a personal level?A: Yes, consistency is really key. But we always run the danger of subsuming such truths into clichés that can easily get glossed over. Consistency for me is showing up every day like it was day one. And if you think about it deeply, it is better to consistently show up every day and put in little shifts that add up exponentially, than showing up with maniacal energy one day and sitting out the next. Q: How did you navigate relationships, friendships, study groups, and competition in a high-stakes environment like law school?A: The law school is a community, and as in every community, interaction between members is important and maybe even necessary for survival. I made a few friends at law school. However, I can’t stress enough how important it is to make friends with people with whom you share the same goals. It makes everything a bit easier. During my externship, I had this group of friends with whom I attempted class tasks across the various courses every night. We were from different campuses, which meant we sometimes had diverse ideas and approaches to the same problem. This was very important for me since I was able to get a feel of what was happening in other campuses. I also took part in group meetings as much as I could. I even represented my group in the moot trials as lead counsel, and we came out on top. Summarily, even in a high-stakes environment like the law school, isolation is never really the best idea. In a nutshell, I tried to make friends and share time with others while recognising the wisdom in moderation.Q: What did rest or fun look like for you, and how did you avoid the guilt that often comes with taking a break?A: Guilt? Only undeserved breaks will make you feel guilty. I tried to earn mine. For instance, a night out with friends after studying for two straight weeks never elicited guilt from me; rather, I was really focused on enjoying the moment because I knew I had worked very hard and totally deserved it. However, fun meant several things to me. It could be playing football at the law school, which I regularly did, attending a party which seldom happened, catching up with friends over social media, or just taking a well-deserved nap.Q: What’s the biggest reality check you’ve faced since leaving law school? How have you been able to navigate the space between expectation and reality in your post-law-school journey?A: Well, the truth is, I expected nothing to be handed to me; I knew I would have to work extremely hard to not only cement my place, but to prove I am worthy of it. I am still taking the days as they come, and my estimation of what reality is like after law school hasn’t proved to be false, yet.Q: Many new lawyers struggle to find a footing in the job market. What’s your honest take on that experience, and how are you approaching it?A: The job market for new wigs is actually very crazy. Almost all new wigs usually desire to start practice at some top-tier firm, but that’s an impossibility because there are so many people these firms can take. Outside the top-tier firms, remuneration becomes a big issue. I have call mates who have mentioned during discussions that some firms offered them as low as twenty-thousand naira per month as salary. I mean, that’s absurd considering the prevailing economic realities and cost of living. But that’s the sad situation, which I believe needs urgent reform. In my case, I would say I was fortunate enough to get the grades I got, so things have been a bit easier. You know, firms are willing to open their doors to you if they perceive you are the kind of talent they are looking for.Aside from that, it is also important to optimise the factors within one’s control to get the best outcome, aiming for the best grades possible, undergoing internships, and building relationships within legal circles; these help to more advantageously navigate a very competitive job market. At least that has been the experience.Q: You’ve achieved something historic. How do you process recognition without letting it define you?A: I believe an obsessive love for recognition is a slippery slope that can quite easily mutate focus from the grind that produces the recognition to recognition itself. When that happens, then it becomes easy for one to fade out. I am sincerely thankful for the recognition this achievement has afforded me. I met the Governor of my state, several leaders in the legal profession reached out to say a word or two, and that is great. But I also know that I must attack my next obstacles with the same intensity and vigour that brings recognition. I try not to let my life be defined by recognition; rather, the work that produces the recognition is where my focus is. More than anything, I interpret recognition as a responsibility rather than a crown.Q: If you could speak directly to law students currently navigating the chaos of preparation, what truth would you tell them that nobody told you?A: Well, I think they may have already heard what I will tell them, the only thing is I’ll urge them to actually believe it – they are going to be fine. That bar finals can be the easiest exams they’ll ever write, but what will determine that outcome is the quality of preparation they put in.Thank you so much for your time, Benedict. This has been incredibly insightful, and I’m certain so many, myself included, will draw real inspiration from your journey and the honesty you’ve shared today.