Nigerian students shine in African Spelling Bee Competition

Five Nigerian students selected from different states graced the competition.

Nigerian students have recorded a strong outing, clinching top honours at the recently concluded African Spelling Bee competition in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The competition, held on Friday, brought together top young spellers from more than 30 African countries.

The African Spelling Bee featured several formats, including an intense speed round, where participants were required to spell 20 words within one minute, as well as multiple challenging single-word elimination rounds.

Five Nigerian students selected from different states graced the competition. They were selected after a rigorous national process organised by the Nigeria Spelling Bee.

Winners

Oluwadamilola Adeolu, a student of St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado-Ekiti, clinched the first position and emerged as the Champion of the Junior category, while Abdurrahman Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International College, Ilorin, secured 3rd place in the same category. South African Ashton Singh clinched the second position in the category.

The Nigerian team also emerged as the 2nd Best Country Spelling Bee Team in the overall group rankings.

Members of the team include Oghenetano Idoghor of Mountain Top Schools, Lagos, Chinedu Okediachi of Madonna International Schools, Asaba, and Maryam Yusuf of Ar-Raheem International School, Ilorin.

How to compete

The organisers of Nigerian Spelling Bee explained that the selection of participants for the competition begins at the grassroots level, where students across Nigeria register to compete. The top students are subsequently selected to represent the country at the continental stage.

“Interested participants can begin their journey by registering via the official website, www.NigeriaSpellingBee.com, and progressing through state and national competitions,” the organisers said in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES.

“Top-performing students at the national level are then selected to represent Nigeria at the continental championship.”

About the African Spelling Bee

The African Spelling Bee Consortium was founded in 2016 by 10 Spelling Bee organisations across Africa. The first African Spelling Bee was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, bringing together National Champions from each of the countries.

The first ten countries are: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

“The African Spelling Bee was started with a vision of celebrating the African Child, inspiring them to be literate and creating a platform for them to connect and build their confidence,” the organisers said.

The African Spelling Bee Consortium comprises a growing number of more than 20 African Nations, including both English and non-English-speaking nations, organisers said.