Anambra State has extended its acute competitiveness from basic education to university education.
The two oldest universities in the state have just won two out of the three prizes in the 2020 prestigious annual Basin Evaluation Competition among geology and geophysics students in Nigerian universities.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, won the second prize and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu University at Uli took the third position in the competition endowed by top petroleum companies in Nigeria. The University of Lagos at Akoka won the first place.
“It is amazing that our state university undergraduates could do so well because only year one and year two students from the institution participated whereas even master’s degree candidates represented some other universities,’’ declared Mrs Sally Mbanefo, the Anambra State Commissioner in charge of tertiary education.
“It shows the silent revolution going on in our state in every field, especially education where we have consistently demonstrated superiority.’’
The Anambra State government has already extolled both Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University for their brilliant performance in the National competition.
A statement issued in Awka, Mr C Don Adinuba, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment disclosed that Gov. Willie Obiano has spoken to the vice chancellors of the two universities, saying the governor is heartened that universities named after the Great Zik of Africa and the inimitable Odumegwu-Ojukwu are living up to their names.
The governor pledged to continue to support the universities, whether owned by the state government or the Federal Government, “so that they will continue to excel.
“In fact, we will support even privately owned universities in the state to see if all the three prizes in the annual Basin Evaluation Competition will come to our state from next year, with both publicly owned and privately owned institutions bringing honours to the people and government of Anambra State.’’
Anambra State has in the last five years been on a steady upward swing in educational achievements from mostly basic education.
Crucifixio Chinua Umeonyiagu, a pupil of God’s Wisdom International Primary School, Nnewi, last week took the first position by scoring 199 marks out of 200 in the 2020 National Common Entrance Examination results just released by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
At the secondary level, Francis Chijioke Osakwe from Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State scored an A1 in each of the nine subjects he sat for in the 2020 West African School Certificate Examination which was released earlier this month.
Furthermore, two indigenes of Anambra State — Ego Agnes Maduafokwa from Ihiala, and David Nwobi from Njikoka Local Government Area, scored the highest marks in the 2020 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Examination (JME).
Anambra State in 2018 put Nigeria on top of the technology map of the world after a global contest when five students of Regina Pacis Model Secondary School, Onitsha, who represented Nigeria and Africa at the World Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, USA won the coveted Gold Medal.
With the recent awards won by Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu University in the Basin Evaluation Competition, Anambra State has further consolidated its reputation as Nigeria’s educationally most competitive state.
