A 13-year-old student of Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Lejja Nsukka in Enugu State, Blessing Onodagu, has emerged ‘Mathematics Queen’ for the 2020 SDGs Mathematics competition for girls in junior secondary schools nationwide.
Onodagu distinguished herself among over 120 contestants in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) competition organised by the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) on Monday in Abuja.
NMC director Prof. Stephen Onah, while commending the best runner-up of the contest, explained that the competition was in three stages.
Onah said the first and second stages took place at the state level.
He said that at the state level, the best three students in the Mathematics Olympiad were selected from each states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the final stage where the ‘Mathematics Queen’ would emerge.
He said the aim of the programme was to encourage the young ones especially the girls to develop interest in the learning of Mathematics.
“We initiated this programme particularly targeted at girl-child and we did it to catch them young at the junior level; because if we are able to generate that interest in them at that level that interest will certainly be sustained,” Onah said.
Senior special assistant to the president on SDGs Adejoke Oreolope-Adefulire commended the NMC management for the programme, saying that it would promote the quality of girl-child education in Nigeria.
Oreolope-Adefulire was represented by Ifeyinwa Nnamchi-Ukaegbu.
The participants of the competition were given awards ranging from bronze, silver and gold medals, while participants from the 36 states were given learning kits.
The medalists would also represent Nigeria in the international Olympiad.
