Akinsola Omidire

Succour came the way of students of junior and senior secondary schools in Lagos and Ogun states recently when they were given the opportunity to showcase their painting skills when they all converge on the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. 

The event was the pilot scheme of a painting competition entitled “Palettes and Strokes” put together by Total E&P, in partnership with National Museum, Lagos, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) under Total Foundation Programme.

It was a two-day event that featured forty schools on Day One where they were tasked to express their understanding of the theme of the competition. After an exhibition of all participants’ works, a shortlist of 20 was released for the grand finale on Day Two.

In her address. Curator of the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Mrs Adeboye, affirmed that the event was basically to celebrate and promote creativity, as well as ingenuity among the students of selected junior and secondary schools in Lagos and Ogun states.

Adeboye said the social media had impacted negatively and positively on members of the public, but the competition was set to right the wrong, which prompted the choice of the competition, which would help spread the societal advocacy for the correction of this vices.

Her words, “We want to see how these young people, with their creative minds, will put on their cardboard through their brushes, and paint positive values they think should be projected through social media.”

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She hoped, also, the competition would become an annual event where students would showcase their artistic strokes to correct and influence their environment and, by extension, the world.

In his remarks, Managing Director, Total E&P, Mr. Mike Sangster, represented by Advisor, Corporate Social Responsibility, Dr. Charles Ngeribara, asserted that the event was part of the company’s giveback to its host countries under Total Foundation programme for its societal initiative to heighten its commitment to enhance development with special focus on young people.

Ngeribara reiterated that NNPC/TOTAL was interested in encouraging career training and opportunities for young people. Also speaking, General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Mr Ikomu, opined that the two-day event was quite revealing and interesting in the sense that the students did well just as the participation was good.

“We hope that we will continue by the time we do an assessment of the competition. Probably we will do the second edition and thereafter,” he noted Traditional dancers entertained the audience to spice up the event, while dignitaries took a tour of exhibited works at the museum.

Reputable personalities from professional bodies and tertiary institutions were part of the judges that shortlisted and selected the winners.  In the junior cadre, Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, came first; while Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos, came second. Also, St Joseph Secondary School, Agege, Lagos, came third.

For the jenior cadre, Queens College, Yaba, Lagos, was the winner, followed by Emerald High School, Ogun State, and Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, which placed third. Winners went home with various prizes and scholarship packages.

Dignitaries included Ejiolamhen, Mr Sam Ebohon, Dr. Oluwasegun Quadri and Comrade Iroko, among others.