Full Story/All Pics/Videos: OCI Foundation Supports the 2024 Yobe State Spelling Bee Education Competition (2nd Edition); July 10 to 11, 2024

The OCI Foundation International has participated in the 2024 (Second) Edition of the Yobe State Spelling Bee Annual Competition.

The event, which involved 144 students from 72 Junior Secondary Secondary Schools in Yobe State, was held at the Desert Multi-Purpose Hall, GRA, Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria, from July 10th to 11th, 2024.

Yobe is one of Nigeria’s 26 states, and is located in the North-East of the Country, one of the regions facing the Boko Haram insurgency. The OCI Foundation, an Australian-Nigerian-British non-Governmental organization is supporting education and other activities in this area as one of its activities that assist with the post-insurgency recovery in Nigeria’s Northeast.

Alongside the OCI Foundation, the Yobe State Governor (represented by the Deputy Governor) and other dignitaries from the State, graced the event. The prizes by the top three winners are summarized below:

1st Position:
₦500,000 (H.E., Governor Buni)
₦150,000 (The Deputy Governor)
₦100,000 (OCI Foundation)
₦100,000 (Spelling Bee Committee)
₦20,000 (Dr. Benjamin and Family, UK)
Total: ₦870,000

2nd Position:
₦100,000 (Deputy Governor)
₦50,000 (OCI Foundation)
₦50,000 (Spelling Bee Committee)
₦15,000 (Dr. Benjamin and Family, UK)
Total: ₦215,000

3rd Position:
₦50,000 (Deputy Governor)
₦25,000 (OCI Foundation)
₦25,000 (Spelling Bee Committee)
₦10,000 (Dr. Benjamin and Family, UK)
Total: ₦110,000

The OCI Foundation’s delegation to the competition was led by Mr Bashir Mohammed Ranccass. He also represented the Australian-based President of the Foundation, Dr Chris Onyebuchi Ifediora, and was accompanied by the Foundation’s “Ambassador on Girl Child Education for Yobe State and the North East Nigeria”, Miss Surayya Muhammad Kabir. Others in the team were Auwal Musa and Auwal Adamu.

The President of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Dr Alhassan Adamu, also graced the event. The NCS is a key partner of the OCI Foundation on its nationwide Arm Our Youths Anti-Cancer Health Campaign, a nationwide project that the promotes anti-breast and anti-cervical cancer messages to Nigerians on a regular basis.

Since being established in 2016, the OCI Foundation has been at the forefront of the promotion of women-friendly activities across Nigeria, with multiple programs on health, education, social welfare.

In addition to the Arm Our Youths Campaign with the NYSC, the Foundation worked with the 9th Nigerian National Assembly to facilitate two legislative bills in 2023. One was on Sexual and Gender-based Violence, while the other was to inculcate anti-cancer teachings into the curriculum of all senior secondary schools and colleges if education in Nigeria.