By Abdulkareem Haruna

Government Secondary School Fika in Yobe state has emerged as the winner of the inter-secondary school quiz competition organized by the Operation Hadin Kai Theater Command.

The winning school triumphed over several secondary schools from Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states to clinch the coveted trophy.

Students from Government Secondary School Fika of Yobe state, Government Secondary School Garkida from Adamawa state, and Yerwa Government Secondary School Maiduguri from Borno state converged in Maiduguri for the grand finale after competing and emerging as winners in their respective states.

Following an intense quiz session covering Mathematics, English, and General knowledge, the students from  Yobe state scored 40 points to emerge as winners. Borno and Adamawa state students scored 30 and 28 points respectively, securing the first and second runner-up positions.

Major General Gold Chibuike, the Theater commander of Operation Hadin Kai, initiated the quiz competition as part of the Nigerian military’s commitment to civil-military relations. He generously donated trophies and gifts to the participating schools.

The quiz competition in session

At Government Secondary School Fika, the gold-winning team, each of the three students received N50,000, a cash prize of N500,000, textbooks worth N300,000 for the school, as well as certificates and branded notebooks.

Yerwa Government Girls Secondary School, which came in second place, received a silver medal and N30,000 cash prize for the three competitors, along with N250,000 cash and textbooks worth N100,000 for the school.

Three participants from Government Secondary Garkida each received a prize of N20,000, while their school received a sum of N150,000 and textbooks worth N100,000.

Dr. Wakilbe, the commissioner of education, commended Operation Hadin Kai for their efforts in supporting education in the state, saying, “The military has done what the state government has never done in the history of education in the state.”

Contestants like Shuaibu Muhammad Musa from Yobe, whose school emerged as the winner, and Naomi Garba from Borno state, who secured the first runner-up position, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and the impact it had on them.

“We thank the military and the Theater commander for giving us this exposure, which is the first of its kind,” said Musa. “I am just short of words here, but all I can say is that this is a motivation for me and other students.”

Miss Garba added, “We came second out of about 21 secondary schools that participated in this competition in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. For me, that is a huge accomplishment. What matters is the opportunity being given for young girls to showcase their talent. This victory for girl child education in Borno. I urge all girls to embrace hard work and prayers to God for success.” 

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Nigeria Army, Major General Peter Malla, who also attended the event handed out an undisclosed lump sum to each of the nine students that partook in the quiz grand finale .