Bauchi State has emerged the overall North-East zonal winner in the ongoing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s Zonal annual Science Quiz Competition.
Announcing the results, Mr Tayo Sanni, the National Consultant for the NNPC competition, said Bauchi state, which was represented in the competition by a 13-year old Mukhtar Abdul-Ghanee of Sunshine International School, became victorious.
He said that the SS2 science student scored 50 points to defeat his closest contestant, Abdulrahaman Sa’ad from Taraba state who scored 40 points.
Sanni revealed that Borno State took the third position with 35 points while Adamawa and Gombe states emerged the fourth position with both states scoring 30 points each as Yobe got only 20 points.
According to him, Bauchi, Taraba and Borno states would go to Abuja for the finals of the competition, adding that N100,000 grant had been approved by NNPC to all the six participants at the Zonal level.
Earlier, Mr Garba Muhammad, The Ground General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, congratulated the various schools and their industrious students who represented their states in the zonal contest.
He said over the years, NNPC had made intervention in the education and capacity development areas, adding that with the signing into law, the Petroleum Industry Act by President Muhammadu Buhari, impetus had been given to the corporation to increase its impact in the lives of all Nigerians.
“It has become more important than ever to groom a pool of highly trained youths who will be available to take up key positions in the company and in the Nigerian energy sector in the years to come.
“It is for this reason that NNPC’s commitment to encouraging science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, which is the focus of the NNPC National Science Quiz Competition, has become stronger than ever,” he said.
Represented by Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, an Officer from Group Public Affairs Division, NNPP, Muhammad appreciated the Bauchi Government and the teachers of the host school for their commitment and support which made the competition a successful one.
In his address, Bauchi state Commissioner for Education, Mr Aliyu Tilde who was represented by Mrs Wulne Buba, Director, Quality Assurance from the ministry, appreciated NNPC for the sponsorship of the science oriented competition.
He assured that it would encourage students to work hard in science as they now lived in a technological world.
He prayed for the three participants to represent the zone at the national level and come out in flying colours in the finals.
(NAN)
