Nine–year-old Enwere-Kingsley Ikenna, of Cuddly Kids School, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, yesterday, emerged overall winner of the 16th Annual National Mathematics Competition (ANMC).
Ikenna won gold medal, scoring 98.85 per cent to defeat 39,518 candidates who participated in the competition in the 36 states of the Federation , including the Federal Capital Territory.
The competition, organised by National Mathematical Centre and Nigeria Tulip International Colleges (NTIC), Abuja, was to reward hardwork for pupils who devoted time to surmount the phobia associated with mathematics.
NTIC (Ogun Chapter) Principal, Mr. Ercan Yilmaz, said Ikenna would get all expenses-paid full scholarship with N300,000 cash prize, while his teacher would get N200,000 and his school would get a digital printer and desktop.
Yilmaz said pupils who emerged winners from second to seventh position would also get full scholarship from the College while winners from eighth to the 12th position would get 100 per cent scholarship on tuition, among other prizes.
“This is certainly a display of academic commitment par excellence which NTIC as a school that rewards hard work would not be tired of doing.
“We believe that pupils who could devote much of their time to the mastery of mathematics, that others in their ignorance, consider a big devil should be more than amply rewarded,” he said.
The principal noted that over the years, the competition had been further strengthened and improved in quality, quantity and the spread of participation.
He lauded “the state Universal Basic Education Board in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara states for their partnership to further improve participation, organisation and manpower deployments for the competition.”