Idowu Sonoiki, 16, wins Spelling Bee competition 

Idowu Sonoiki of Ikotun Senior High School, Ikotun, on Wednesday won this year’s Spelling Bee competition for secondary schools in the state.
 
Sonoiki, 16, beats 15-year-old Faaizi Abdullaidi of Omole Senior High School, Ojodu and 14-year-old Fehinti Dahunsi of Lagos State Senior Model College, Kankon to the second and third positions respectively.
 
On account of his performance, Sonoiki currently in SS1, is the next One Day Governor of the state for 2015. 
 
State Commissioner for Education, Olayinka Oladunjoye, at the competition said the students had taken full advantage of the opportunity provided by the initiative to excel not only in the competition but also in their studies as evidenced in the marked improvement in academic performance.
 
Oladunjoye said it was heartwarming that the goals of the competition had been achieved as evidenced in the performances of students at various external examinations. 
 
“Again, I am gladdened by the fact that many of the past winners of the competition are now successful men and women in their chosen and enviable careers such as Medicine, Engineering and Law, among others,” she said.

Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ronke Soyombo, noted that the Spelling Bee competition is important because it raises the profile of reading and cements the connection that is shared between sounds and letters.
 
“Learning spelling words is not important to a child’s future but helps to lay the basic foundation that every student will need throughout their educational life.”