Lagos, Imo, Ondo, Rivers shine at 22nd national mathematics competition

The 22nd edition of the annual national mathematics competition ended in Abuja on Thursday, with Lagos state winning the junior secondary category while Imo clinched the first position in the primary school category.

Fifty-two students from primary 5 and 6 and the junior secondary category competed in the second round of the competition organised by the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) and the National Mathematical Centre (NMC).

In the junior secondary category, Jamalaldeen Mamman Tahir from Air Force Secondary School, Lagos state, won the first position, while Kaetochukwu Uzoewulu Brian of Hillrange Secondary School, Enugu, won the second position, and Eghosa Emmanuel James from Beacon of Success School, Edo, was in the third position.

Shedrack Chijioke Udeh Jnr. from Diamond Special School, Imo state topped the table in the primary category, followed by Olasehinde Darasimi David of Genius Tonic Heights School, Ondo, and Ifeanyi Uchegbu Einstein from Pleroma Intl. School, Rivers, in the second and third positions, respectively.

The top five positions in both categories received cash prizes ranging from N100,000 to N500,000.

Mathematics teachers of the awardees were also recognised, receiving cash prizes of up to N400,000.

Approximately N200 million worth of scholarships are given to all the winners every year.

The schools of the top performers received various gifts, including tablets, desktop computers, and printers.

The winners were the outstanding students from the two categories out of the approximately 10,000 participants in the competition in the first round.

Fevzullah Bilgin, managing director of the NTIC, said the competition is an initiative through which school fosters and promotes excellence, particularly in the realm of sciences.

“Our objective is to ignite students’ passion for mathematics from an early age. I must confess that ANMC is one of Nigeria’s largest mathematics competitions,” Bilgin said.

“Nigerian Tulip International Colleges is the exclusive sponsor of ANMC scholarships, benefiting students. Currently, not more than 90 students are benefitting from the NTIC-ANMC scholarship scheme.”

Bilgin reiterated NTIC’s commitment to organising the annual mathematics competition to further energize students’ enthusiasm for the subject.

Erdal Yilmaz, the ANMC coordinator, said the competition has been able to awaken the mathematics potentials in students, noting that it has been of great help in leveraging the students’ functionality in the science-oriented area.”

Yilmaz commended the resilience, intellect, and determination displayed by all participants, stating,

“These young minds are a testament to the remarkable academic potential within our nation, and we at NTIC remain devoted to providing opportunities that challenge and elevate students academically,” he said.