Inspired: Meet girl, 17, who made the overall best pupil in May/ June WAEC exams (PICTURED)

             Folafoluwa Ogini

Folafoluwa Oginni, a Seventeen-year-old girl, has emerged the overall best pupil in the May/June 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC). She led two other girls to lift the prestigious West African Examinations Council National Distinction/Merit awards.

 They were honoured at the Nigeria National Committee 51st Annual General Meeting in Owerri, held by the Council, on Thursday.

Folafoluwa scored the highest grade (Grade 1) in all her eight subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. 

The Nigerian Eye reports : By the feat, the Osogbo, Osun State- born lad has become the current holder of WAEC’s national distinction/ merit award. 

The Council instituted the award in 1984 to encourage academic excellence. Oginni, who attended Our Lady and St. Francis Catholic College, Isale-aro, Osogbo, with examination number 4303013/087, also had Grade 1 in Economics, Government, Literature-in- English, Biology, Christian Religious Knowledge and Yoruba Language.

 She has a cumulative score of 653.9318. Born on December 13, 1995, she attended Folorunsho Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government Area between 1999 and 2000 as well as St. Clare’s Nursery and Primary School, Isale-aro, Osogbo between 2001 and 2006.

 With two books -The Joy and Agony of Reaping (2005) and the Despised Corner Piece (2008) – already to her credit, the youngster in 2009 came first in the Junior Category of International Digest Competition entitled “Raising IT champions for 2020.”

 She also took the first position in the Caremi Essay Competition to mark the 2010 World Mental Health Day. The young lad, whose feat has made OSCCO to become the 2012 winner of the Omo N’Oba Erediauwa trophy for producing the best female WASSCE candidate, won the second position in the junior category of the NAFDAC Consumer Safety Club Schools Competition in 2009. She also came second in the competition in 2011 at the SSS category as well as third in the senior category of the International Digest 2010 contest. Oginni is at present studying Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife. On the Council’s second placed National Distinction/Merit award chart is 18-year-old, Oluwakemi Olalude. Olalude, who garnered a cumulative score point of 649.3797, also obtained Grade 1 in all her eight subjects.

 The Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja pupil with examination number 4020617/114, scored Grade 1 in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Agricultural Science and the Christian Religious Knowledge. She had her primary education at Plateau Private School, Jos between 1998 and 2006. 

Hitherto, she emerged the LJC’s overall best graduating pupil for the 2005/2006 academic session, carting away prizes in French Language, Social Studies, Mathematics, Music and Vocational Aptitude. 

All through her stay at LJC, she was on the college Honours Rolls having maintained an average of above 85 per cent in her subjects. She also won the LJC’s academic award for the best graduating female student of 2012 set. 

The youngster, who represented LJC in the 2009 Mathematics Olympiad Competition while in Junior Secondary School Three, scored 11 distinctions and one credit in the Junior Secondary Certificate Examination in the same year. Currently studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Ibadan, the youngster born on May 8, 1995 had also emerged the best in a Mathematics competition organised by the Nigerian-Turkish International College for states in Plateau, Nasarawa and Taraba. 

The third placed position went to Anambra State-born Chinelo Ibekwe. She also obtained Grade 1 in eight subjects, scoring a cumulative point of 647.9675. She had her pre-primary and primary education at Home Science Primary School, and St. Saviours British Primary School, all in Ikoyi, Lagos, respectively.

 Ibekwe, who attended Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State, scored Grade 1 in English Language, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Agricultural Science. 

Born on April 17, 1996, the Nimo, Anambra State pupil in 2009 emerged the second best JSCE candidate with 11A’s and 1C. She also obtained the third best International General Certificate of Secondary Education result in2012, scoring four stars and 2A’s. 

The youngster, who received an award in 2012 for being a voluntary student tutor, again in 2011 and 2012 got an award for outstanding achievement in the American Mathematics contest. 

She is at present studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Mississippi, United States. To be considered for the 29-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 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.