The ninth edition of the NCDMB/NTA Science Quiz Competition for Secondary Schools in Bayelsa State concluded on Wednesday at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT) Conference Centre in Swali, Yenagoa, with two schools emerging joint winners after a closely contested final.
Kaiama Grammar School, Kaiama, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, and Federal Government Girls College, Imiringi, Ogbia Local Government Area (LGA), clinched the top prizes, while Apex Academy, Yenagoa, finished as second runner-up.
All three schools received high-value science and learning equipment, including laboratory apparatus, anatomical skeleton models, microscopes, an electronic compact scale and a standard printer.
The six student finalists were each awarded an HP laptop for personal use.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe represented by the Board’s General Manager for Corporate Communications, Dr Obinna Ezeobi described the competition as a flagship educational initiative sustained for nine consecutive years.
Ezeobi said the quiz began as a project of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), which later invited NCDMB into a partnership that has endured due to shared priorities in education and capacity development.
He explained that NCDMB’s core mandate is to build indigenous capacity for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, saying that science and technology form the sector’s foundation.
Encouraging students to see themselves as future contributors, he said nurturing young talent was essential as the current workforce ages.
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The Board, he added, has established Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres in secondary schools nationwide, providing laptops, servers, interactive smartboards and stable power supply, alongside teacher training to ensure effective use.
"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 said.
He urged students to use their laptops to develop digital skills rather than focus solely on entertainment.
In a goodwill message, the General Manager of NTA Yenagoa, Mrs Mary Ekanem, praised NCDMB for reviving and sustaining the competition after it was previously shelved due to funding constraints.
Ekanem said the partnership had helped the broadcaster fulfil its educational mandate, describing the quiz as a catalyst for disciplined study and knowledge acquisition.
The Science Quiz Coordinator, Mr David Oyintare Enemiebor, also commended NCDMB for expanding participation from 16 to 32 schools and raising the profile of the event through the quality of prizes on offer.
The programme ended with the formal presentation of awards to the winning schools and their student representatives.
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