Education
Finalists Share Experiences at InterswitchSPAK Masterclass
By Dipo Olowookere
The InterswitchSPAK Masterclass 1.0 might have come and gone but the experience will linger on in the minds of the 81 finalists who participated in the project.
The Masterclass, which was held on Monday, August 27, 2018, comprised three 45-minute sessions where top-notch speakers engaged the students in lectures on various subjects.
Students were intellectually motivated by high-profile speakers led by Mr Mitchell Elegbe, GMD, Interswitch Group who discussed: ‘Emotional Intelligence and the Leadership Responsibility of Youths’; Mr Yinka Sanni, CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Ltd, focused on ‘Social Innovation – The Power of Transformative Ideas’ and Eloho Omame, MD, Endeavour Nigeria, on the topic ‘Entrepreneurship – A Tool to Creating Impact in Our Society’.
The students certainly had very rewarding experiences from the Interswitch Masterclass 1.0. Some of them were willing to share;
‘I have decided to study Medicine to stop politicians from travelling abroad for medical treatment’ – Rasheed Yekini, from Demonstration Standard College, Okene, Kogi State.
The word ‘medical tourism’ has become commonplace in Nigeria, no thanks to government officials and their likes travelling abroad for every little health challenge. This is the reason why Rasheed Yekini of Demonstration Standard College, Okene intends to study Medicine and Surgery.
“The other day, a former Minister fell sick and was flown abroad for treatment. Recently, the governor in my state had an accident and travelled abroad for medical attention. From the Masterclass, I learnt that I can achieve anything I want by putting my mind to it. I also learnt that people from poor homes have a better chance to see opportunities and find solutions to them,” he said.
‘The Masterclass has helped change my mind about running away from Nigeria,’ Glory Okoli, from Ambassador School, Ota, Ogun State.
Although she also dreamt of relocating abroad for greener pastures, Glory Okoli has had a shift in mindset, thanks to the inspiring sessions at the Masterclass 1.0.
“When I saw people like Mitchell Elegbe and Yinka Sanni who against all odds, schooled and made it here in Nigeria, I changed my mind about ‘running away”, she said. An aspiring paediatrician, Glory wishes to study at the John Hopkins University, USA, but promises she would return home as a qualified paediatrician to help save the lives of Nigerian children who are most susceptible to diseases.
‘The Masterclass made me understand that by inventing new things, I can solve existing problems,’ Uchenna Okoro, from Incubators Academy, Kaduna.
Uchenna Okoro has always had the desire to create new things. He said: “The Masterclass made me understand that by inventing new things, I can solve existing problems and make the world a better place to live”. On why he entered for the InterswitchSPAK science competition, the aspiring Genetic Engineer sees the platform as one that will fully groom his potentials.
‘It is more beneficial when one person grows a business to employ thousands of people; than many small businesses of two, three people,’ Kosiso Ugorji, from Lagoon Secondary School, Lekki, Lagos.
The aspiring biomedical engineer has big dreams of inventing something that will revolutionize the entire medical system, beginning from her state (Imo State).
However, she learnt the importance of not just starting small, but steadily growing a business to become large-scale. She said: “I really gained a lot from the session by Ms Eloho Omame where she talked about scaling I learnt that it is important and more beneficial to the society when one person grows a business to become an employer of hundreds and thousands of people; instead of many small businesses of two, three people”.
‘My takeaway from the sessions is the need to imbibe principles, values, skills, wisdom and knowledge for a successful life,’ Asusu Cookey-Gam, from Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, Rivers State.
For Asusu Cookey-Gam of Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, Rivers State, coming to the competition was scary but the Masterclass was interesting and impactful. He said: “I learnt how to use technology to solve societal problems.
‘I plan to create a software which will help Nigerians become more tech-savvy,’ Feyisayo Adeaga, from the Ambassador School, Ota, Ogun State.
Feyisayo Adeaga, a student of The Ambassador School, Ota, was enlightened about the need to create a solution to a societal problem during the Masterclass.
Speaking on his experience, Feyisayo stated that he was ready to accept Mr. Sanni’s challenge of helping the country solve real problems to improve the lives of fellow Nigerians.
“I plan to become a Software/ Computer Engineer because I realize that many people in Nigeria are technologically illiterate,” he said.
‘Life goes beyond Physics, Chemistry and Biology; a good attitude is important,’ Oreofe Daniel, from Ambassador School, Ota, Ogun State.
For Oreofe Daniel, the Masterclass was super fun and interesting. The 15-year-old, who incidentally scored the highest marks in the InterswitchSPAK national qualifying examinations, also learnt that beyond knowing and passing Physics, Chemistry and Biology, it was important to apply the knowledge acquired to real-life situations and to develop a good attitude to life in general.
‘I want to impact my love of Math’s on the younger generation,’ Anuoluwa Aruleba, from Ambassador School, Ota, Ogun State.
Worried about the dearth of trained teachers in Nigeria and the resultant brain drain of Nigeria’s best educators, Anuoluwa Aruleba of The Ambassador School, Ota, wants to become a Mathematics teacher.
“Mathematics is my favourite subject and I want to impart my love and knowledge of Math’s on the younger generation”, she said. Her key takeaway from Mitchell Elegbe’s session of the Masterclass was that people will have expectations and perceptions about you and things around.
She said, “Expectations cannot be controlled but can be managed, so try to change people’s perception instead of lowering their expectations.”
‘Creating a positive impact is more important than making money,’ Gift Ukpoweh, from ECWA Model College, Oyo.
Ukpoweh Gift is a 14-year-old student of ECWA Model College, Oyo State. Probably one of the youngest finalists, Gift’s vision in life is to become a frontline architect due to her love for drawing and a desire to improve the field of architecture.
Her participation in the Masterclass further enhanced this vision as she learnt that impact should be the major reason for any venture.
She said, “I learnt that in everything we want to do in life, we should have a vision. I also learnt that in any field we want to go into, we must not go there only because of profit. Creating a positive impact is more important and should be our number one goal in life. That is what I intend to do when I become an architect”.
Commendably, Interswitch has sparked off a huge ripple from this 135 minutes of mentoring at the InterswitchSPAK Masterclass. There is no doubt that the forum has changed the mindsets of the students that participated, rekindling their interest in STEM and helping them to refocus their purpose and career paths.
Indeed, the InterswitchSPAK project has all the trappings of a revolution that will hopefully change the face of STEM education in Nigeria, leading into the future.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has unveiled an 11-title longlist for its 2026 edition, selecting the outstanding poetry collections from a record 223 submissions received for the competition.
This was contained in a press statement signed by General Manager, External Relations & Sustainable Development, Mrs Sophia Horsfall.
The announcement, by the chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, marks a significant milestone in this year’s competition and reflects the exceptional quality, creativity and diversity of contemporary poetry.
The longlisted titles, arranged alphabetically, are:
1. Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide
2. Bakandimiya by Saddiq Dzukogi
3. Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje
4. 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase
5. Ceremony for The Nameless by Theresa Lola
6. Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku
1. Floral’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu
2. The Origin of Wounds by Malik Gbolahan
3. The Years of Blood by Adebayo Agarau
4. Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze
5. Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo described the announcement as an important stage in the 2026 edition of arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious literary Prize.
She noted that the collections demonstrate the remarkable capacity of poetry to illuminate human experience through thoughtful reflection, cultural memory and artistic expression.
The academic added that the works revisit history while interrogating dominant historical narratives and exposing the forces that shape collective identities and social relations.
She stated that despite their varied emphases, the books share a commitment to exploring the endurance of individuals and communities in the face of violence, oppression, and social fragmentation.
Commenting on style and language, she said the books display an impressive diversity of poetic techniques marked by lyrical intensity, symbolic depth, and artistic innovation.
“Many employ densely poetic, allegorical, and elegiac modes that invite multiple layers of interpretation, while others draw extensively on folklore, oral traditions, and contemporary realities to create a compelling fusion of past and present. Their language is generally fluid, evocative, and aesthetically refined, relying on vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and intellectual sophistication to communicate complex ideas. These works demonstrate how poetic language can illuminate social realities, challenge established perspectives, and give voice to both individual and collective experiences.
“The next stage will demand a closer reading of each work, with attention to language, form, originality and lasting literary value,” she stated.
She also commended the judges for their work and reaffirmed the Advisory Board’s commitment to a credible process, literary excellence and the promotion of a strong reading culture.
The announcement of the 11-title longlist formally opens the next phase of the shortlist of three in August and the possible announcement of the winner in October.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by NLNG, carries a cash award of $100,000 for the author of the winning book. In its 22nd year, the prize rotates annually across four genres – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature – with the 2026 edition devoted to poetry.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has slashed the fees for the assessment and ranking of textbooks ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking Policy scheduled to commence in September 2026.
The reduction, approved through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), was aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and authors while facilitating compliance with the new national textbook quality assurance framework.
The decision comes ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking Policy introduced by the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality and standardisation of instructional materials used in schools across the country.
Announcing the development in a statement on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Mr Salisu Shehu, said the assessment fee had been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title had been cut from N1 million to N750,000.
He said the revised fees take immediate effect and apply to all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment and ranking.
Mr Shehu also disclosed that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of N2,000 per page would receive refunds of the excess payments, adding that details of the refund process would be announced in due course.
He urged all stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the new fee regime.
“Under the policy, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be approved for use in Nigerian classrooms from September 2026, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister explained that the initiative was designed to tackle the proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that teachers and learners have access to high-quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials.
The minister restated that NERDC will continue to exercise its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks for use in schools, but that approval alone would no longer be sufficient under the new policy.
“Instead, every approved textbook will undergo a structured national evaluation and ranking process by expert committees to determine the most suitable and highest-quality books for each subject and level of education,” he said.
The minister was optimistic that the National Textbook Ranking Policy will strengthen quality assurance in education by providing schools, teachers and parents with reliable guidance on the best instructional materials for teaching and learning.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A free educational initiative to equip children with practical Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills needed to grow, thrive and prosper in a rapidly evolving world has been put together in Lagos.
The programme, Young Innovators Camp, commenced on Monday in the Lekki area of Lagos State. It is organised by MONAT, with Fidelity Bank as the sponsor.
Participating children, who must be between 4 and 10 years, will have a hands-on learning experience focused on creativity, innovation, problem-solving and critical thinking. They will be introduced to age-appropriate STEM concepts, guided build sessions and other engaging activities designed to stimulate curiosity and encourage practical learning.
The camp will also feature small group learning with facilitators, financial literacy sessions, creative activities, and other interactive experiences that support confidence-building among participants.
Every participant will also receive a specially curated gift pack filled with educational resources and STEM learning materials to encourage continued exploration and learning at home, making the camp both a memorable and transformative experience.
The Young Innovators Camp reinforces Fidelity Bank’s ongoing investment in initiatives that prepare children and young people for the future. It builds on the bank’s education-focused interventions, including initiatives such as SWEETA, which supports children, and the lender’s broader CSR agenda, which prioritises youth empowerment, education, skills development and access to opportunities that can improve long-term outcomes for individuals and communities.
“The future will be shaped by those who can solve problems, think creatively, and harness technology to improve lives.
“At Fidelity Bank, we believe these abilities should be nurtured from an early age.
“Through the Young Innovators Camp, we are giving children the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a fun, practical and engaging way that inspires curiosity, builds confidence, and encourages innovation.
“We want every child who participates to leave believing that they have the potential not just to succeed in the future, but to help create it,” the Divisional Head of Brand and Communications at Fidelity Bank, Mr Meksley Nwagboh, said.
“As a bank committed to helping people grow, thrive and prosper, we see education, particularly STEM education, as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
“Today’s young innovators will become tomorrow’s engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors and technology leaders.
“By partnering with Monat, we are investing in a generation equipped with the skills, mindset and confidence to solve real-world challenges, create opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to national development.
“This is more than a summer camp; it is about unlocking potential and inspiring the next generation of innovators,” he added.
