By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
The Commander 35 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Godwin Nwamba, on Tuesday, hosted the maiden edition of the Primary Schools Spelling Competition in Ogun State.
The event took place at the Vulcans Officers’ Mess, Alamala Barracks, Abeokuta, and brought together 11 primary schools from Abeokuta North Local Government Area.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday by Major. Idereghi Akari, Assistant Director Army Public Relations of 35 Artillery Brigade.
According to Akari, the competition was designed to sharpen the spelling abilities of pupils, build their confidence, strengthen teamwork, and inspire a love for learning.
”It was also aimed at fostering civil-military relationships with the host communities.
The participating schools included: Army Children Primary School I Lafenwa, Army Children Primary School III Alamala, Army Children Primary School IV Alamala, Owu Baptist Day Primary School Ita-Iyalode, Community Primary School Mile 2, Muslim Model Primary School II Ago-Oko,
”Others are Methodist Primary School I Ago-Oko, Methodist Primary School II Ago-Oko, Baptist Primary School Olorunda, Early Childhood Education Development Primary School, and Command Children School Lafenwa,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Nwamba expressed delight at initiating the competition.
He revealed his passion for Scrabble, an interest closely linked to spelling, which inspired him to create this platform for children.
According to him, exposing pupils to spelling competitions at this stage of their education will not only enrich their vocabulary but also improve their communication skills in both writing and spoken English.
He emphasised that his desire was to pass on his hobby in a way that would nurture children’s intellectual growth and encourage them to embrace learning with enthusiasm.
The Commander further noted that he believed the competition would instill a passion for language, deepen the pupils’ interest in education, and foster cooperation among them.
He also added that experiences such as this might inspire some of the participants to consider future careers in the military, where discipline, knowledge, and teamwork are highly valued.
At the end of the keenly contested event, Owu Baptist Day Primary School clinched first place with 75 points, followed by Community Primary School Mile 2 in second place with 70 points, while Muslim Model Primary School II secured third position with 65 points.
Highlights of the day included the presentation of cash prizes to the winning schools, distribution of certificates to all participating schools, and the award of Scrabble sets to the first, second, and third place winners.
