The Wings Secondary School, Iwo, has emerged winner of the Osun State edition of the 11th National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Secondary Schools Quiz Competition. The school scored 60 points to finish ahead of four other participating schools at the competition held last Tuesday at Ara Hall, SUBEB Warehouse, behind Omoluabi Building, Abere, Osun State.

With the victory, The Wings Schools will represent Osun State at the Southwest Zonal edition of the competition later in the year. The competition, organised by NILDS, was centred on the theme, “Legislature and Democracy,” with students tested on their knowledge of the legislature, democratic principles and Nigeria’s legislative structure.

The competition brought together secondary schools drawn from different parts of Osun State, with the participating schools representing different zones across the state. Although six schools had been selected to participate, five eventually took part in the competition after Kiriji Memorial College, representing Ikirun Zone, failed to turn up.

The schools that participated were The Wings Secondary School, Iwo; Alfareed College, Ede; Zion Baptist High School, Osogbo; Vickayor Private School, Ife; and Ogedengbe School of Science, Ilesa. The quiz was conducted in three rounds, with each correct answer attracting five points. The Wings Secondary School got off to a strong start in the first round, recording 20 points alongside Alfareed College, Vickayor Private School and Ogedengbe School of Science. Zion Baptist High School recorded 15 points.

The competition became more decisive in the second round when The Wings Schools produced a perfect score of 25 points, taking its cumulative score to 45 points. That performance gave the Iwo-based school a clear advantage over its competitors going into the final round. The school subsequently scored another 15 points in the third round to finish with 60 points and secure first position. Vickayor Private School finished second with 55 points, while Alfareed College came third with 50 points. Ogedengbe School of Science recorded 25 points to finish fourth, while Zion Baptist High School placed fifth with 15 points.

The result means The Wings Schools will now move beyond the state level to compete against representatives from other states in the Southwest at the zonal stage. For the students who represented the school, NurudeenRoheemah and Samuel Oladotun, the victory also provides an opportunity to compete on a wider platform and demonstrate their knowledge of legislative and democratic affairs.

The competition is part of efforts to expose young Nigerians to the workings of legislative institutions and the principles that underpin democratic governance. For secondary school students, questions on the legislature can extend beyond the names of political office holders to areas such as the functions of legislative houses, lawmaking, representation, separation of powers and the relationship between different arms of government.

An understanding of such issues is important in a democratic society, where citizens are expected to have some knowledge of how public institutions operate and how decisions affecting them are made. The competition therefore provided students with an opportunity to engage with subjects that are sometimes treated as largely theoretical within the classroom.

The performance of The Wings Schools also highlights the role of academic competitions in providing students with opportunities to test their knowledge outside conventional classroom assessments. Unlike regular examinations, quiz competitions require participants to recall information quickly, work under pressure and respond confidently before an audience. The three-round format of the NILDS competition also meant that an early lead did not automatically guarantee victory. The Wings Schools’ 20 points in the opening round placed it among the leading schools, but its perfect score in the second round proved decisive. The 25 points recorded in that round moved the school to 45 points, giving it a 10-point advantage over Vickayor Private School, which had 35 points at that stage. The final round then saw The Wings Schools maintain its position and finish with five points more than the second-placed school. The outcome also showed how closely contested the top positions were. Only 10 points separated the first and second-placed schools, while the difference between the second and third positions was five points. The competition brought together students from Iwo, Ede, Osogbo, Ife and Ilesa, providing a platform for schools from different parts of the state to compete against one another.

The participating students were also reported to have maintained a peaceful and collegial atmosphere throughout the event. The organisers’ focus on legislature and democracy gave the competition a civic education dimension, with students engaging with issues connected to Nigeria’s political and institutional structure.

The legislature is one of the three arms of government in Nigeria and has constitutional responsibilities that include lawmaking and oversight, among other functions. At the federal level, legislative powers are vested in the National Assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. At the state level, legislative functions are performed by state Houses of Assembly. For students preparing for the competition, understanding these structures would have required familiarity with the different levels of government and the responsibilities assigned to public institutions.

The competition also offered an opportunity for students to engage with democratic principles beyond political discussions that often dominate public discourse. As the country continues to encourage greater civic participation among young people, early exposure to the institutions and processes of democracy can form part of broader civic education. For schools, competitions such as the NILDS quiz can therefore serve as another avenue for students to develop confidence, public speaking skills, quick thinking and interest in public affairs.

The Wings Schools’ victory now places greater responsibility on the two students and their teachers as they prepare for the Southwest zonal competition. The school is expected to intensify preparations ahead of the next stage, where it will face winners or representatives from other states in the region.

The zonal competition will provide a tougher test for the students, as they will be competing beyond the Osun State level after emerging from a field of schools representing different zones within the state.

The school management has expressed appreciation to the organisers of the competition, its founders, governing board, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as the students who represented the school.

The achievement has also been described by the school as a source of pride for The Wings Schools and Iwo.

For Roheemah and Oladotun, the immediate task is to build on their performance at the state competition.

Their 60-point finish secured The Wings Schools’ passage to the Southwest zonal stage, but the next round will require further preparation as the school seeks to maintain its performance against a wider field of competitors. The victory also gives the school an opportunity to place Iwo on the map of academic competitions beyond Osun State.

With the focus of the competition on legislature and democracy, the students’ participation extends beyond the pursuit of a trophy. It also places them in a position to engage more closely with questions about how Nigeria’s democratic institutions function. For the school, the challenge now is to convert the success recorded at the state level into adequate preparation for the next stage. The Wings Schools’ victory in Abere has thus moved the school from being one of several competitors in Osun State to becoming the state’s representative at the Southwest zonal edition of the NILDS Secondary Schools Quiz Competition. The zonal competition later in the year will determine how the school fares against representatives from across the region, but for now, the 60-point performance has secured The Wings Schools the opportunity to take the competition beyond Osun State.