Master Olabanji Edun of Army Children Senior Secondary School in Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, on Wednesday, 19th March, 2014, emerged the winner of the 2014 Lagos State Spelling Bee Competition and automatically becomes the next One-day Governor of the State.
He won a keenly contested competition by beating Miss Blessing Azeez of Keme Balogun Senior College, Ibeshe and Master Elijah Macaulay of Ojota Senior Secondary School, Kosofe to the second and third positions respectively.
The state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, noted that the competition which was started in 2001 was aimed at teaching the students how to speak well and inculcate reading habit among school children in order to propel them to greater heights and encourage keen competition which has been the hallmark of the competition.
”The overall goals of the competition are to help students improve their spelling skills; increase their vocabulary and develop correct English Language usage; creating good reading habits that will lead to better academic performance; and boosting the confidence of participants with a view to preparing them for future endeavours,” she averred.
The Commissioner commended the New Era Foundation under the leadership of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, former First Lady of Lagos State, for her foresight and commitment towards the attainment of the noble height the competition has attained.
Mrs. Oladunjoye acknowledged the positive impact the competition has made over the years as witnessed by the various laurels won by the state in many external competitions as well as the past winners who have been successful in their various chosen fields such as medicine, law, engineering and teaching among others.
She stated further that, “I am happy to report that the goals of the competition have been achieved through documented evidences of our students’ performances in various external examinations and the fact that many of the past winners of the Competition are now successful men and women in their chosen enviable careers such as Medicine, Engineering and Law. It is also important to stress that the overall winner in the secondary schools category has the singular honour of acting as the Governor of the State for one day. Suffice it to say that this peculiar experience has, over the years, continued to propel our students to greater heights as manifested in the keen competition that has been the hallmark of the Competition.”
The Commissioner pointed out that government would continue to monitor the academic progress of the past winners in order to continue to sustain the tradition of excellence that the competition is associated with.
“I am pleased to note that there is a strong awareness about the Spelling Bee Competition among students/pupils at all levels in the State. This, in itself, is a reflection of the present administration’s commitment towards academic excellence among our children. It is this awareness that stimulated the state government to ensure the continuity of the laudable Competition and this is done to assist students in developing their potentials be it mentally, intellectually and physically,” Oladunjoye said.
Among dignitaries present were the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola, who was represented by the Wife of the state Commissioner for Energy Resources, Mrs. Azeezat Tijani; the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King; the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; representative of the New Era Foundation, Mr. Yemi Oshilaja, its Executive Director and the Coordinator of Lagos/Finland Educational Exchange Programme, Professor Kolawole Raheem,
Master Olabanji Edun will have the opportunity to act as Governor of Lagos State for one day at a later date.