Edo, Delta task students on sciences for improved research, others

Governors Godwin Obaseki and Ifeanyi Okowa of Edo and Delta states have urged students to show more interest in the sciences with a view to enhancing research and related activities in the country.In their goodwill messages to the NPDC/Seplat Pearls Quiz Competition/Prize Giving at the weekend in Benin City, Obaseki said his administration was willing to partner professionals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), research institutions and entrepreneurs to improve the lives of children through the application of science, technology and innovation.

Represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mr. Jimoh Ijegbai, the governor hinted that the Edo-BEST initiative was yielding positive results.Obaseki pointed out that his government was making the right investments in children because it believes that “the state has a future only when they (the children) have a future, hence the launch of the Edo-BEST initiative.”

Speaking through his Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Prince Emmanuel Amgbaduba, the Delta chief executive stressed the need for parents and guardians prioritise the provision of quality education for their wards, admitting that the competition was keenly contested, urging the winners to remain academically resilient.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru, represented by the General Manager, Western Assets, Chima Njoku, noted that the yearly contest, open to all secondary schools in the two states, was to improve the academic standards of their hosts.He added that the programme also aims to rekindle the spirit of academic excellence and healthy competition in the youths by motivating, encouraging and rewarding the scholarship spirit in their young minds while also inculcating the benefits of teamwork in them.

In her remarks, the General Manager, External Affairs and Communications of NPDC, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, said 862 schools participated in the exercise, with Delta posting 523 of the figure while Edo accounted for 339.At the end of the competition, Don Bosco Science Academy, Ekpoma, Edo State came first followed by Peniel Academy, Agbor and Deeper Life High School, Opete, both in Delta State; while Brano High School, Benin City clinched the fourth position.