A student of Glorious Covenant School, Rivers State, Ikenna Ikechukwu, emerged the 2024 mPulse Spelling Bee champion at the weekend.

He won the grand prize of a N5 million scholarship, a laptop, a smartphone, and a mPulse goody bag. Ikenna will also serve as the MTN Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for a day.

The spelling bee competition showcased the brilliance of Nigeria’s youth, bringing together 20 of the country’s top young spellers in a thrilling and inspiring contest.

The competition began in September with thousands of participants across Nigeria.
Ikechukwu impressed the audience and judges by correctly spelling the winning word, “Cornucopia,” within six seconds.

Speaking at the event, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, MTN Nigeria, Obiageli Ugboma, said: “This year, over 40,000 young spellers competed for the chance to stand here today. It is inspiring to see the incredible effort these 20 finalists have put in to make it this far.

At MTN, we are deeply committed to education and nurturing young talents.

The mPulse Spelling Bee reflects our belief in empowering the next generation. Today isn’t just about winning; it’s about celebrating effort, resilience, and the role models these students have become for their peers.”

In addition to the individual prizes, the champion’s school, Glorious Covenant School, was awarded an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lab equipped with 10 laptops and MTN 5G routers, while the student’s teacher received N500,000 in cash.

The second and third-place winners, Ayomide Ibigbemi and Munachimso Opara, also received significant prizes, including scholarships, laptops, and smartphones, reinforcing MTN’s focus on rewarding excellence in education.