The Flip Side Of #BBNaija

By Frank Efe Anorue

I love to celebrate substance.

This little girl is Miss Morufat Lawal, a pupil of AUD Basic School in Fiditi Afijio Local Govt of Oyo State.

Fiditi, by all standards is a rural area dominated by farmers. I may not be able to prove it but her parents may not be rich or educated — in Nigeria, the rich children attend private schools as against public schools.

LET ME SHOCK YOU!

Morufat is the overall winner of the National Mathematics Competition in Abuja, Nigeria beating all contestants from both the Public and Private schools in Nigeria.

I celebrate this genius who against all odds remains excellent. She apparently wasn’t attending well equipped school, had no access to best resources, didn’t get best of meals, parents couldn’t afford best of clothings, yet she conquered everyone!

For her brilliant performance, she was awarded a N6 million scholarship by the National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Abuja.

Morufat now attends International Model Science Academy, Abuja – a school run by the NMC.

Since this is not about touching or sucking breasts, or guzzling alcohol on the free or even showing off nudity and nationally accepted pornography on TV, I do not expect you to share this to go viral! Because starting from you, education doesn’t matter and it’s not worth celebrating. But don’t ever complain we don’t have good doctors, engineers, inventors or scientists. You ‘re among those making them to believe no need to work hard to be the best.

LET’S CONTINUE

In 2014, Morufat became the first pupil in primary three and in a public school to represent Oyo State at the national level of the prestigious national Mathematics Olympiad organised by the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN).

She had been selected to represent her school (A.D.S Primary School, Fiditi) at the local level of the competition. She trounced over 40 other contestants to qualify to represent her local government (Afijio) at the zonal in level.

The zonal stage involved 12 winners from four local governments (Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East and Oyo West). Morufat still came tops, despite being in primary three.

At the state level of the competition, held at the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, this prodigy competed with 23 others, who were winners at the respective zones, and came third and was primed to represent Oyo State at the national edition hosted by the University of Ilorin.

Here, she was paired with another pupil for the quiz category. The duo came first, beating 40 contestants from other states.  She was presented with a cash gift.

Morufat, as a primary four pupil, again represented Oyo State in Abuja in a JETS competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education. She took the first prize to the amazement of guests at the event when she was announced as a public school primary four pupil.