A student of Oritamefa Baptist Model School (OBMS), Ibadan, Mustapha Uthman has emerged the winner of the Ibadan High School Science Award organised by the AndTop Charity Foundation.
The AndTop science competition, which had over 300 participants, saw Uthman claim the overall prize of N500,000, while Oluwasolafunmi Olaniyi from the International School, University of Ibadan and Oreoluwa Ogunsola from Maceland Academy, Ibadan, came second and third with cash prizes of N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.
Speaking after his presentation, Uthman said he was very happy with the outcome of the AndTop science competition, having studied hard to claim the top prize.
He lauded the organisers of the programme for the scholarship and financial award, which he said would go a long way in helping his parents further support his education to a tertiary level.
He said, “I feel elated; I’m happy and grateful to God for allowing me to win the competition. I’m also thankful to the organisers of the competition for coming up with this very thoughtful initiative.
“It was not easy at all. I prepared a lot, I took the exam after writing my WAEC exams, so some things I’ve read in preparation for the WAEC exam also helped me during the competition, and by the grace of God, I came out on top.”
He advised other students to embrace science courses, saying: “My advice to students is to follow their passion, if you know that you’re interested in science, don’t run away because of subjects that are termed hard, like Further Maths and others. Instead, you should try to put in your best, and you’ll not be disappointed.”
The co-founder of the foundation, Mr Temitope Olawale, said AndTop Charity Foundation was founded by two friends, himself and Andrew Akindutire, with the aim of providing resources to target groups with specific needs by bridging the achievement gap in the society.
He noted that for the past six years, the foundation had been operating across several states in Nigeria, offering scholarships, academic support, and youth empowerment.
He recorded that the foundation had presented funds to Indigent and physically displaced persons.
Olawale said: “The competition has to do with STEM, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics competition among students of secondary schools in Nigeria as a whole.
“The main reason is just to encourage the students to develop an interest in science subjects, which they will really need to thrive in future.”
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