19-year-old emerges WASSCE best pupil

Ogun State-born Oloruntoba Ogunfolaji leads the pack in this year’s West African Examinations Council Academic Excellence Awards, CHARLES ABAH writes                

Nineteen-year-old Oloruntoba Ogunfolaji has emerged the best scholar in the 2013 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

The leadership of the West African Examinations Council honoured the lad alongside two females on Thursday in Minna, Niger State. The females are Ifeoluwapo Fasola and Maureen Anyanwu, both of who are natives of Oyo and Imo states, respectively.

For posting outstanding results, the trio received the WAEC’s prestigious National Distinction and Merit Awards. They scored A1 in all their subjects.

However, Ogunfolaji is considered the overall best candidate having scored a total grade of 666.6525 in eight subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

By the feat, the lad becomes the current holder of the esteemed award instituted by the council in 1984 to encourage academic excellence.

Ogunfolaji, who attended the Sacred Heart Catholic College, Abeokuta, Ogun State between 2007 and 2013, with examination number 4280232/098, also obtained A1 in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science, Geography and Yoruba Language.

Born on October 26, 1995 to Mr./Mrs. SP Ogunfolaji, the award winner attended St. Bernadette Nursery and Primary, Onikolobo, Abeokuta South Local Government Area, Ogun State between 1998 and 2006.

The lad, whose feat has placed the Sacred Heart Catholic College on the WAEC Excellence honours’ list, was the best pupil in his fifth and sixth grade in the school.

Following his success also, the college becomes the winner of the Omo N’oba Erediauwa Coronation Trophy for producing the best male candidate in the May/June 2013 WASSCE.

Other laurels, awards and prizes in his kitty include the 2010 overall best in Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (obtaining nine As and four Cs), best in JSSCE (NECO) in 2010 (10As and 2Cs), and the 2011 champion in African Gifted Foundation Award in Mathematics.

Ogunfolaji, who represented the South West Zone in Uganda for the outstanding achievement in African Gifted Foundation Mathematics contest in 2012, also participated in the 2013 Robotics Academy competition.

He also clinched the third best position in the Shell Science Award in 2013 as well as the best Yoruba Student Award in WASSCE. The Yoruba Education Resource Centre, Lagos, organised the award.

The youngster is at present studying Medicine and Surgery at the nation’s premier university, the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

On the second position in the award is 17-year-old Ibadan, Oyo State-born Fasola. The lass, who had her secondary education at the International School, University of Ibadan, between 2007 and 2013, had a total score of 664.0075. Her WASSCE registration number was 4310824/089.

She obtained A1 in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science, French and the Yoruba Language.

Her success enabled her school to become the holder of the Omo N’oba Erediauwa Coronation Trophy for producing the best female candidate in the May/June 2013 WASSCE.

Born on July 8, 1997, Fasola, who attended the Junior International School, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan between 1998 and 2007, won many awards, including the Prof. Olufemi Bamiro and Prof. Ayodele Falase Awards, which earned her scholarship throughout her senior secondary school education.

Fasola, who represented the International School at various competitions, was its second best graduating pupil in the 2006/2007 academic session.

Like Ogunfolaji, Fasola is currently studying Medicine and Surgery at UI.

On the WAEC’s National Distinction and Merit Awards third position is Miss Anyanwu, who attended the Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja.

The Mbaise, Imo State-born lass with a cumulative score of 656.5480 also posted an excellent result in all her eight subjects.

Anyanwu, who sat for the examination with registration number 4020617/017, obtained A1 in English Language, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science and Geography.

Born on April 23, 1996 to Dr/Mrs. Emmanuel Anyanwu, the youngster who attended the Montessori International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between 1998 and 2006 is also no stranger to academic success.

The 18-year-old not only emerged the overall best in her primary school, she also secured admission on merit to the LJC in 2007.

Anyanwu, who throughout her stay at LJC was on the honours and merit rolls for academic accomplishments, scored 12 distinctions and one credit in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination in 2010.

In her set at LJC, she also won the best graduating pupil award in Agricultural Science and Chemistry.

Due to her academic feat, she was appointed the Academy Probation Prefect, a position that empowered her to assist and tutor other pupils on academic probation at the LJC.

Anyanwu, currently studying Chemical Engineering with focus on Clinical Research at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Arts, New York, United States, is on full scholarship valued at $160, 000. She passed Scholastic Aptitude Test with a score of 2380 out of 2400 in both Mathematics levels I and II.

Besides, the lad is good in sports, winning gold, silver and bronze in tracks and field events.

To be considered for the 30-year-old distinction award, a candidate must obtain Grade 1 in at least seven subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, one of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and one subject from any of the three sub-categories of core subjects.

In addition, the candidate must obtain a minimum of Grade 6 in at least one subject from each of the core subject sub-categories.

Candidates are considered under the merit awards only if enough participants do not qualify for the distinction awards. The eligibility criteria for the merit awards are the same as those of distinction awards, except that a candidate must obtain a grade not lower than 2 in English Language.

The results of candidates eligible for an award should have been obtained at the first attempt and at the same sitting. The grades would also have been obtained without any hint of impropriety.

The first National Distinction/Merit awards were presented in Abeokuta, Ogun State in 1985 to the winners in the Nov/Dec. 1984 SC/GCE, with Abdulkadir Sarki-Abba, a pupil of Government Science School, Dawakin-Tofa, Kano State receiving the excellence award.

Since the first presentation, findings by our correspondent showed that pupils from Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, have won the prestigious award 10 times. By this accomplishment, the school has become the highest-winning institution as well as the highest recipient of the Oba Erediauwa trophy for presenting the best female candidates.

Suleja Academy, Suleja is the second highest-winning institution, picking the prize four times in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2009, while the International School, Ibadan, Oyo State has won it three times in 1987, 2000 and 2004.

Meanwhile, Queen’s College, Yaba has also won the Council’s Augustus Oyediran prize six times, while Loyola Jesuit College, Wuse, Abuja has won it five times in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008.

Suleja Academy, Niger State has won it four times in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997.

The Oyediran trophy is given to the school that has the best aggregate determined on the results of its best 50 candidates in English Language, Mathematics and one science subject.

In a related development, Nigerian Turkish International College, Kaduna took home the Oyediran trophy for producing the best overall results in the May/ June 2013 WASSCE.

The Council on Thursday also honoured the New Era College, Mokwa, Niger State as the winner of the WAEC Endowment Fund Prize Book for producing the best aggregate results in the May/June 2013 WASSCE in the state.

While the PHCN Staff Secondary School, Jebba, Niger State won the second position, El-Amin International School, Minna took the third position.