The Chemical Society of Nigeria, CSN has congratulated the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola and the Osun State chapter of CSN for producing the overall winner of the 2020 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (YONSPA 2020). Master Abdullahi Akintade Akanbi of Osogbo Government High School emerged the winner of the 2020 YONSPA in Abuja recently during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Science, Technology and Innovation Expo to the delight of the Osun state Governor, his parents and school principal.
The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR also announced a full federal government scholarship Award for the overall winner up to PhD level for any science based course in any of the Nigerian universities at the opening ceremony of the 2020 EXPO at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
The CSN President, Professor Sunday Okeniyi in a statement issued in Kaduna described Akintade Akanbi’s feat as a plus; not only to Osun State government but also to the Osun State Chapter of CSN which discovered the young scientist and to his parents who are also teachers. Professor Okeniyi said that Akintade has made his parents and Osun state proud to have come tops among participants from774 LGAs in the country. The President also congratulated the Chairperson, Dr. Mrs Esther Faboro, State Executive council and the entire membership of the Osun State Chapter of CSN, to have discovered the student who the chairperson described as someone who deserved the award, having earlier won the Osun State 2019 chemistry competition and took 4th position in the CSN National Chemistry Competition held in Lagos during the 42nd Annual International Conference in September 2019.
The president’s statement further reiterated his great concern for the well-being of members of the society. He therefore informed members and the general public that the Society, have had to suspend its South South Zonal Conference and Quarterly National Executive and Council meeting earlier scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa State between 2nd to 5th April 2020 till further notice; in compliance with the Federal Government directives. The President said the decision was taken after reviewing and studying the current COVID-19 situation in Nigeria and making national consultations with health experts, as a result of the impact of the Coronavirus and the serious implications it would have on the zonal conference and national Exco/council meeting coupled with the anxiety it has generated among the Council Members, Nigerians and the world at large. He said that the decision was also in demonstration of his concern for members’ safety, and well-being including support for the various preventive measures being put in place by both the federal and state governments to checkmate the spread of this COVID-19 disease. He however assured all members that the decision would be revised as soon as the situation improved in Nigeria and new dates would be communicated to all as soon as practicable.
