NIGERIA – Nigerian LNG Limited (NLNG) and Rivers State Government have said that with global trends in technologies, investments in science education is key to nation building and should be encouraged.
Speaking at the weekend in Port Harcourt at the grand finale of the NLNG 2022 Rivers State Science Quiz Competition for Junior and Senior Secondary school students, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Prince Chinedu Mmom, said Nigeria cannot develop as a nation if it fails to invest in science and technology education.
“The world is moving ahead; we can’t afford to lag behind. So, Nigeria must buy into the global trend of science and educational training and development, that’s the way we can grow and that’s why I keep giving kudos to NLNG,” he said.
He charged corporate organisations to emulate NLNG and invest in science education with the aim of building and developing the nation’s indigenous technology, saying: “It is high time we developed ours instead of depending on western technology. The students have done well, they should keep it up.”
The General Manager External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr. Andy Odeh, described investment in science education as a dream for better tomorrow and sustainable future where the inputs of today will materialise as gains.
The competition, according to him, aims at inspiring healthy competition among youths and to spur interest in science and technology as a way of equipping young minds for nation building.
Bonny National Grammar School clinched the first prize in the secondary school category.
This year’s competition comes after the pilot edition in 2021 on Bonny Island. The competition, which is open to secondary schools in Rivers State, is in partnership with the Rivers State Ministry of Education and the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN), Rivers State chapter.
Bonny National Grammar School emerged out of seven finalists in the grand finale. Enitonna High School and Niger Delta Science School took the second and third positions, respectively. Other schools that participated in the finals were Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Obio-Apkor (4th position); Government Secondary School, Eneka (5th position); Community Secondary School, Kiran; (6th position) and 7th position: and Okrika National Secondary School, Okrika (7th position).
