In order to further meet up with the standard of their urban counterparts, secondary schools in creeks of Delta State have again enjoyed the sixth edition of Sheriff Mulade Inter-Local Government Area Quiz and Essay Competition.
The annual competition is aimed at bridging the gap between schools in riverside areas, rural schools and their urban counterparts in the area of academic completion and exposure.
Initiator of the programme, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, while harping on peaceful coexistence in Delta State, said the competition was also an opportunity to promote and sustain the existing peace and love among the ethnic nationalities of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo and Isoko in the state.
Mulade, who is the founder and national coordinator of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), however, appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and other governors in the South-South to pay more attention to improving the education sector.
The competition which was organised and sponsored by CEPEJ in collaboration with Chief Sheriff Mulade Foundation and other partners, with 14 schools in participation, had its finals held at the Federal Government College, Warri with dignitaries from all walks of life.
The chairman of the occasion, Michael Tidi, who is also the chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, represented by Ighomrore Hope; special guest of honour, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu and the Chief Inspector of Education (CIE), Warri South, Prince Alekwe, among others.
The quiz competition, which was for Junior Secondary (JSS) classes 1 to 3, saw Love Afodu Standard School, Isoko South Local Government Area, represented by Ewoma Godstime and Elohor Francis, emerging as winners.
Gbesa Grammar School, Ojobo, Burutu Local Government Area and Iwere College, Koko, Warri North Local Government Area, both emerged as second and third runners up, respectively in the quiz competition.
Other schools that participated in the quiz competition were Government Model Secondary School, Patani; Erejuwa II Grammar School, Warri South; Evans International School, Isoko North; Ogbe-Ijoh Grammar School, Warri South-West.
In the essay competition for Senior Secondary (SS) classes one to three, Miss Rudolph Abraham from Kpakiama Secondary School, Bomadi, scored 36 points to clinch the first prize, while Jolomi Stephani from Beach Secondary School, Warri North and Odaderia Oloroghene from Oproza Grammar School, Patani, both scored 20 and 19 points to clinch the 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively.
A scholarship was offered Young Efiri Trust God of Gbesa Grammar School, Ojobo in Burutu Local Government Area for his exceptional performance during the quiz competition.
Mrs. Ezewu, who was represented by Prince Alekwe Theophilus, commended Mulade and members of CEPEJ for the programme, noting that it had helped to foster unity, peaceful coexistence and hard-work among students and the communities.
She said the competition was a proof that education was a reality, and not a ‘scam,’ as often peddled and misconstrued by most youths across the state.
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