Who won the NIGERIA SPELLING BEE National Finals? 1st July, 2017.
The National Final competition of Nigeria Spelling Bee began with an entrance by the Spellers representing the 6 geopolitical regions of Nigeria. These spellers qualified from their State Level and Regional Level of Nigeria Spelling Bee to emerge National Finalists.
As part of Introductions, Mr Love Joshua Modebe explained that the purpose of the competition was not only for word spelling or drills but also for the purpose cultural integration, socialization and the friendships and experiences that the spellers will gain by coming from all the tribes and regions in Nigeria to Camp for days and collaborate on fun and exciting activities.
He also mentioned that the Nigeria Spelling Bee vision is one that surpasses tribalism and regionalism; it even traverses nationality as it also brings nations together in the African Spelling Bee.
Hon. Idris Faruq Jnr, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Bee Spelling Competition Initiative welcomed guests to the event and expressed the organizer’s gratitude to Nile University of Nigeria for hosting the National Finals. He also urged stakeholders in education to partner and support the noble cause of the competition.
Mr Daniel Akubo from the Public Relations Office of Nile University of Nigeria gave a remark on behalf of the University and called all the National finalists winners for coming this far into the contest. He also appreciated the Nigeria Spelling Bee as an initiative that has grass-root development as its major pursuit.
Mr Abdulsalam Ibrahim, the Initiative’s CEO talked about the burden of education, stressing on the challenges of the Nigeria Spelling Bee, especially the doubt that many schools had about the genuineness of the contest in light of the large reward attributed to the educational and cultural program. He also talked about the Nigeria Spelling Bee’s trip to South Africa and how it has helped to convince most of the schools present today. He promised that for the upcoming sessions, provisions will be made to properly carter for the speller’s coaches and parents as is being done for the spellers.
Before the contest fully commenced, the anchor, Love Joshua acknowledged that all the spellers are champions as spellers should not only be judged by the one word they might miss, but by all the words they spelled correctly that has brought them to this stage of the contest.
The competition commenced with dignitaries including the representative of the Honourable Minister of Culture and Information, Akudo-Nwosu Ugochi Nwakaego; the Registrar of Nile university of Nigeria, YASAR AKTEKIN, Traditional Rulers and members of the Media and educational/academic community.
After multiple rounds of the competition which included Round 1 (Indigenous Words; Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba), Round 2&3 (Words from the book “My Only Daughter”), at the 7th round Benebo Nchege (Speller 22) and Jeremiah Nnaemeka (Speller 11) both of Deeper Life High School PH Campus emerged as the Champion and 1st Runner-up respectively, Kehinde Elegbede of Iganmode Grammar School Ogun was the 2nd Runner-Up.
The Champion goes home with a One Million Naira Scholarship. There is also Five Hundred Thousand Naira and Two Hundred and Fifty thousand Naira Scholarship for the 1st and 2nd Runner-ups respectively.
The Honourable Minister of information and Culture ably represented by Mrs Ugochi Akudo-Nwosu while addressing the guests, stressed on the need to key into the Nigeria Spelling Bee course, not only for the education of the young ones, but to also promote and preserve our Nigerian Languages.
She also urged the 3 winner of the Nigeria Spelling Bee will represent Nigeria at the African Spelling Bee in September this year in the Senior Category to work hard and do Nigeria Proud.
Three other spellers, Alexa Idusuyi (Speller 07) of Intellichild TLC Abuja, Adeyemo Iseoluwa (Speller 05) of Deeper Life High School Kwara and Jesse Azaino (Speller 23) of Divine Mercy Secondary School Abuja will represent Nigeria in the junior Category at the African Spelling Bee.
Registration for the next season of the Nigeria Spelling Bee starts 1st week of July, competitions across the states are expected to commence in October.
See photos below:
