By Praise Chinecherem
It was celebration of academic excellence as 22 students from various schools under the Diocese On The Niger who scored 270 and above in the 2024 Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, were honored with Episcopal Educational Merit Award Certificate and gifts by the Bishop on the Niger, the Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo.
The presentation which took place at the Bishop’s Court, GRA, Onitsha, Anambra State was attended by wife of the Bishop, Dr. Elsie Nwokolo, members of the Diocesan Education Board, school managers and principals of the schools where the students came from and their parents.
Munachimso Obidike from Lady Hannah Model School, Awada scored 321 to emerge first among students in the Diocese On The Niger, followed by Emmanuel Onugha from St. Marks Standard Secondary School, Omagba and James Eze from Dennis Memorial Grammar School Onitsha who scored 316 while the third position went to Emmanuel Ofili from St. Christopher Junior Seminary Onitsha and Chinonso Ibegbunam from Patterson Memorial Grammar School scored 314 each
Other students who scored high marks include students of DMGS, Ugochukwu Ugomuanya -313, Chinedum Ubabuike 307, and Lotanna Anazodo from St. Christopher Junior Seminary who got 304.
Among the beneficiaries were twin brothers, Kelechi and Izuchukwu Iyida from Patterson Memorial Grammar School who scored 296 and 278 respectively.
The only girl among the award recipients, Chilotam Chukwudi from Anglican Grammar Girls, Onitsha scored 270.
Speaking during the event, Bishop Nwokolo stated that Diocese On The Niger laid the foundation for education in this part of the world in 1857 and underscored the importance of education in shaping the future of any society.
“As a Diocese with zero tolerance for examination malpractice, we will not relent in giving our students the best to excel. We encourage our students to continue to be disciplined,” he added.
In their separate speeches, Diocesan Education Secretary, Ven Nwachukwu Uzo-Okeke and a member of the Diocesan Education Board, Lady Ngozi Agbasimalo praise the Bishop and wife for their doggedness in the education sector of the Diocese and their passion to see their schools excel.
They reminded the students that University on the Niger has every course that will give them advantage over others.
Earlier, Principal of DMGS, Onitsha, Ven Chigozie Anieto gave a brief lecture on “Success and Hardwork: The Role Of Principal, Parents and Students” where he highlighted the essence of hardwork and setting a goal.
Some of the school Managers and Principals including Ven Chidi Nwadike, Elochukwu Ojukwu, Reverends Adindu Okpala and Johnson Ifechukwu expressed joy that their efforts yielded huge results, attributing the students high marks to qualified teachers, conducive learning environment and hardwork.
Some of the award recipients who spoke to reporters, Munachimso Obidike, James Eze, Chilotam Chukwudi and the Iyida twins expressed joy that their hardwork paid off while expressing gratitude to the bishop for honouring them.
