Lagos One-day Governor Emerges at Spelling Bee Contest
Funmi Ogundare It was jubilation all the way recently as a senior secondary one (SS1) student of Ikotun Senior High School, Master Idowu Sonoiki, 17, emerged winner of the 2015 spelling bee competition in the secondary school category to be declared the next One-day Governor of Lagos State.
The Ogun State indigene defeated 15-year-old Master Abdullaidi Faaizi of Omole Senior High School, Ojodu and 14-year-old Master Fehinti Dahunsi of Lagos State Senior Model College, Kankon, who emerged second and third positions respectively.
The competition, aimed at developing the innate skills of pupils in primary and secondary schools in the state, saw Sonoiki receive a cheque of N250,000 and a plaque; he will also have the opportunity to participate in an exchange programme outside the country.
Faaizi and Dahunsi received a cheque of N150,000 and N100,000, as well as trophies, respectively.
In the primary school category, Miss Bolatito Tijani, 12, of Araromi Primary School, Orile Agege, clinched the first position to smile home with a cheque of N150,000 and a trophy.
Miss Iretiola Faniyi of Methodist Primary School, Ibeshe, Ikorodu came second with a cheque of N100,000, while Master Jonathan Awobodu of Abesan Primary School came third to get a cheque of N75,000 and a trophy.
Sonoiki, who is the last child of a family of 10, expressed delight about the competition, said losing last year motivated him to read the dictionary, encyclopaedia and do research on the internet to succeed.
“I participated in last year’s competition but lost when I could not spell a particular word. My dad told me to start working hard, so I decided to sit up and started reading the Spelling Bee Dictionary and used my school’s encyclopaedia and the internet. Though I never thought I would be among the last contestants, I am happy that I won the competition.”
Speaking at the finals of the competition held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo, who expressed delight about the competition, assured stakeholders that her office has set in motion machineries aimed at improving the quality of education in the state.