Eighteen Students have emerged winners in the just concluded zonal contests of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition held in the six Geopolitical zones of the federation.

The successful participants would knock horns at the competition’s Grand Finale scheduled to hold between 25th and 26th September 2018 in Abuja.

A release by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ughamadu, explained that of the 37 contestants who emerged from the state competitions and competed at the different zones across the country, 14 are from government schools while 23 are from private schools, adding that five of the participants are female.

Giving a breakdown of the results of the competitions at the zonal level, Ughamadu said at the South-South Zone contest, Alikah Joseph Ehiagwina of Edo State came top with 65 points, Ebute Samuel Adakole of Rivers State came second with 55 points, while Ohwevwo Oghenetejiri of Delta State came third with 50 points. The three will represent the zone at the Grand Finale in Abuja.

In the South West Zone, the competition saw Ezeunala Ekene Franklin of Lagos State, Igban Emmanuel of Ogun State and Owoseeni Oreoluwa Olanlesi of Osun State, tied with 55 points each. They will represent the zone in the grand finale of the competition. Also ran in the competition were participants from Oyo and Ekiti states who emerged fourth with 50 points each, with Ondo’s trailing sixth position with 40 points.

The South East Zone of the competition witnessed the emergence of Okeke Tony Kabilan of Enugu State with 65 points, topping the other contestants. Imo State’s representative, Okeke Ezinne Elizabeth, came second with 55 points and Uzondu Chigozirim Emmanuel of Abia State scored 45 points, making him the last from the zone to represent the zone at the Grand Finale in Abuja, come September.

At the close of the competition for the North Central Zone which held in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Plateau State, represented by Okeke Favour and Ezemba Confidence respectively, scored 65 points out of 75, to emerge first. Agada Vincent who represented Benue State came third. The three students will represent the North-Central Zone at the Grand Finale in Abuja later in the year.

Kwara and Kogi states, represented by Femi Olufisayo and Ibrahim Wisdom respectively, equally tied to take 4th position with 50 points each, with Niger and Nasarawa states, represented by Olamilekan Oladapo and Ajogwu Benjamin, making the distant sixth and 7th positions with 35 and 20 points respectively.

In the North West zonal competition, Kaduna State representative, Chijioke Mgbeobukwa, a student of Panaf Schools, Kaduna, won the contest with 55 points, beating other contestants from Kebbi and Sokoto States who emerged 2nd and 3rd positions with 45 and 40 points respectively.

At the end of a keenly contested event for the North East Zone which held in Bauchi, Bauchi State representative emerged winner with 50 points while Gombe and Taraba tied with 45 points apiece.

Adamawa scored 40 points while Borno and Yobe ended with 25 and 20 points respectively.

By these results, Bauchi, Taraba and Gombe states will represent the Northeast Zone at the grand finale in Abuja.

The Kwara State Government called on corporate bodies in the country to back NNPC’s initiative in support of educational development of youths in the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Halima Garba, commended NNPC for its support for science education across the country.

Hajia Garba, who was represented at the event by Alhaji Hammed Yinusa, Director, Information and Communication Technology Department of the Ministry, stated that NNPC’s efforts had enabled many Nigerians to actualise their dreams.

The Kaduna State Government also applauded NNPC’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative for impacting the lives of Nigerian youth and the nation’s education sector positively.

Kaduna State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, who spoke at the North-West Zonal contest, commended the NNPC management for its foresight and initiative, adding that the corporation’s passion for development of education in the country deserved commendation.

The Commissioner who was represented at the event by the Kaduna State Director of Public Schools, Alhaji Dahiru Musa Anchau, stated that like the NNPC, the State Government was also committed to the Development of Science and technology education in all its ramifications.

Alhaji Sani stated that the Kaduna State Government was proud to be associated with the activities of one of the NNPC’s subsidiaries, the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, since the commencement of its operations in the state.

In a similar vein, the Gombe State Government has given kudos to the NNPC on the development of science education through its annual National Quiz Competition, describing it as a tool for national integration.

In an address at the North east zonal finals of the competition in Gombe, the State’s Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Aishatu Ahmed, said apart from encouraging students to study science and prepare them for their external examinations, the Quiz competition was also a tool for National integration by bringing together students from different backgrounds in a competitive endeavor.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Director, Science, Technical and Vocational Education, Mallam Burga Hassan Likka, commended the NNPC on its commitment to the objectives of the competition, saying it had also helped “in breaking down cultural prejudices and deepen students’ sense of Nationalism, patriotism and loyalty”.

Represented at all the zonal events, NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, stated that several innovations were introduced last year to make the competition better and to help the corporation impact as many communities as possible.

He stated that for the 2018 edition, which is the 16th, the aim was to build on the gains already recorded in previous editions.

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