Students from Imo State and Enugu State emerged as top performers at the grand finale of the South East Maths Olympiad, which attracted more than 11,500 students from across the South-East.
The competition featured finalists from Anambra State, Enugu, Imo, Abia State, and Ebonyi State. Participants competed in the primary, junior, and senior categories, with impressive performances recorded across the board.
In the primary category, Egejurum Onyedikachi of Diamond Special College Owerri won the top prize after scoring 13 out of a possible 15 points. He narrowly defeated Onah Tobit, who finished one point behind. Contestants from Enugu State also shared the second position in the competitive category.
In the junior category, Onwubiko Chimdiebube of Evergreen Schools Enugu delivered an outstanding performance by scoring a perfect mark in the final round. He won the top prize of ₦3 million, while his teacher also received ₦1 million in recognition of the achievement.
Students from Evergreen Schools dominated the junior category by taking the first, second, and third positions under the guidance of mathematics teacher Chisom Unachukwu.
In the senior category, Don-Anele Marvelous Munachimso, also from Diamond Special College Owerri, emerged as the overall winner. He received a ₦5 million cash prize, while his teacher was awarded ₦1 million.
Munachimso’s victory adds to his growing academic success, as he recently secured a $100,000 scholarship to study in Canada.
The organizer of the competition, Alex Onyia, said the olympiad was created to discover and develop young mathematical talents across the region. He stressed the need to strengthen mathematics education as Africa prepares a workforce that can compete in a technology-driven global economy.
The competition started with elimination rounds involving more than 11,500 students before reaching the grand finale that produced the region’s best mathematics talents.
However, the results also sparked discussions about the absence of government schools among the top performers, raising concerns among education stakeholders about unequal access to learning resources.
Despite these concerns, organizers and participants celebrated the achievements of the winners. Onyia described the olympiad as a platform for discovering future innovators and problem-solvers.
“With over 11,500 students participating and the best emerging at the end, the future of mathematics and innovation in the South-East looks promising,” he said.
