By Nna Anulumadu
Nnobi community in a jubilation mood as Sir Pius Ufudo Foundation ends 2023 maiden annual mathematics quiz competition for secondary schools in Nnobi.
The quiz competition held last Saturday, June 17, 2023, at the Sir Pius Ufudo Complex, St. Theresa Catholic Church, Ifite, Nnobi attracted special guests including the immediate past Anambra Commissioner for Basic Education Prof. Kate Omenugha, Special adviser to Anambra State governor on youth Dr Nelson Omenugha, Hon. Ebuka Igwe (Member House of Assembly) and many others
Meanwhile among the three schools that competed for the finals, Seat of Wisdom Comprehensive secondary school Nnobi emerged champion ( first position), Zion Secondary Nnobi came second, and Madonna international secondary school Nnobi took the third position.
The Champion school ( Seat of Wisdom) smiled home with N250,000, a laptop and certificate of participation and one year scholarship their representative students. Zion that won 2nd position went home with N150,000 , a laptop and certificate of participation, while Madonna International Secondary school that came 3rd position were gifted with N100,000 , a laptop and certificate of participation. Also, the other six schools that participated in the first stage of the competition went home with N25,000 each as consolation prizes.
The founder cum chairman of the foundation Mr Obinna Ufudo ( Ochendo Nnobi ) who spoke to Trinitas correspondent disclosed that the idea behind the quiz competition is to identify, encourage and support gifted students in the area of Mathematics in Nnobi. He said he was amazed by the excellent performances of the students. ” Apart from identifying the gifted students, the competition he said provided the students the opportunity to interact, share knowledge and ideas and build confidence among themselves. Outside this competition, our foundation is giving free computer training to Nnobi children every long vacation which will also take place this year vacation”. He enjoined the state government to partner with the foundation and make the quiz competition a State education activity in order to encourage students to remain focused and study hard so that they can to become successful persons and good citizens of the society who will give back to the society that produced them.
He made it clear that his motivation for commencing the quiz competition is to ensure that Nnobi school children can boldly compete with their mates in the cities and have equal opportunity academically and otherwise.
The manager of Sir Pius Ufudo Foundation Mr Dozie Ojukwu who spoke to Trinitas poured encomiums on the Chairman of the foundation Mr Obinna Ufudo for being seriously concerned about the education of Nnobi children and youth, stating that he is sincerely determined to give every child in Nnobi the opportunity to excel educationally for brighter future, adding that he is giving the children in Nnobi a future. He described the Chairman as a great philanthropist who derives great joy from investing in younger ones. He charged Nnobi school children to embrace education and take it more seriously for a greater future.
Also , a facilitator of the foundation, Miss Onyinye Omenugha, who spoke to the press, extolled the Chairman for his magnanimity and goodheart to school children in Nnobi. She described the competition as a brilliant initiative that gives the children in Nnobi a unique opportunity to be more committed to their studies and keep working. “I am very grateful to the Chairman who is also my mentor Mr Obinna Ufudo for his hard work, generosity, support, and great vision for Nnobi children. His foundation is basically for education and health, which is in tandem with SDG 3 and SDG 4 of the United Nation developmental goals. He is greatly inspiring us and this is the kind of thing I wish to do in future,” She further charged the students to work hard as success is predictable when one starts early to study hard, adding that there is no short cut to success.
Also Dr Nelson Omenugha in his contribution rained accolades on the Chairman stating that he has great passion for education and for improving quality of life of the people of his community. “He is consistently inpiring and channeling the minds of the children towards education. As part of his effort to give the best of education to Nnobi children, he has built a gigantic modern school block with a modern library for school children in Nnobi”.
The principal of Madonna International Academic Nnobi Mrs Mary Queen Ifeoma Okeke in her remarks praised the efforts of the foundation for inculcating culture of excellence among the school children in Nnobi, describing the competition as most transparent and interesting.
It will interest you to know that Sir Pius Ufudo Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the development of Nnobi with emphasis on education and health.
