Yemisi Izuora
The 9th edition of the NCDMB/NTA Science Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools in Bayelsa State came to a close in Yenagoa, with Kaiama Grammar School, Kaiama, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, and Federal Government Girls College, Imiringi, Ogbia Local Government Area, clinching the top prizes, while Apex Academy, Yenagoa emerged second runner-up.
Each of the three schools went home with prizes, including a set of top-of-the-range laboratory equipment, anatomical skeleton model, microscopes, an electronic compact scale, and a standard printer, while the six contestants received an HP laptop each for their own private use.
In a welcome address at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD), Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, described the quiz competition as a major event of the Board, noting that it has demonstrated its commitment to education through the sustenance of the competition for nine consecutive years.
He noted that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) had started the science quiz for secondary schools several years ago and invited NCDMB into a partnership arrangement that has lasted till date. He said the partnership has endured for so long because the two federal agencies “have a meeting of minds” on matters relating to education and capacity development.
The Executive Secretary explained that the mandate of the NCDMB is to develop indigenous capacity to enhance the participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry, and that the Science Quiz Competition would stimulate the interest of students in science and technology, which he described as the bedrock of oil and gas.
According to him, “It is in our interest to develop the young ones who will work in the industry” in the years ahead as the workforce ages. He pointed out that when the industry began in 1957, those who worked at that time had to develop the next generation that had to replace them.
He said the Board has established Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres in several secondary schools across the country, equipped with laptops, servers, interactive smartboards and facilities for stable electricity supply, among other things. Teachers had to be trained in ICT in many of the schools to be able to impart the required knowledge and skills.
“We are hoping that we ignite in you interest in innovation so that you will be interested in finding solutions that will drive our oil and gas sector and solutions that enhance performance in other sectors of the national economy,” he declared, adding that linkage sectors such as mining, agriculture and construction are equally prioritised by the Board.
Addressing the students, Dr. Ezeobi advised the students to use the HP laptops to develop digital skills to prepare them for the future, rather than spend all their time on entertainment.
In a goodwill message, the General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Yenagoa, Mrs. Mary Ekanem, commended the NCDMB for its prompt intervention toward sustenance of the Science Quiz Competition after it had been shelved because of financial constraints. She said part of the mandate of the NTA is to promote education and that the organisation has found an excellent partner in the Board.
“NCDMB is helping the NTA in fulfilling its mandate in regard to education,” she declared, adding that education of national development.
According to Mrs. Ekanem, “This competition makes students to study and become knowledgeable.”
She said the NTA has a responsibility to manage information dissemination to ensure citizens are well-informed and enlightened and also ensure the unity of the country. That professional orientation inclines the organisaion to ensure objectivity and balance.
The Coordinator of the Science Quiz Coordination, Mr. David Oyintare Enemiebor, thanked NCDMB for expanding participation by increasing the number of schools from 16 to 32, and raising the profile of the event through the quality prizes it provides for award to participating schools and students. “NCDMB, you have made great impact,” he stated.
The event was rounded off with the award of prizes to the schools and students who represented the winning institutions.