Education
Promasidor Marks 20 Years of Reigniting Passion for Mathematics
By Dipo Olowookere
The relationship between Cowbell and Mathematics hit a milestone this year with the celebration of 20 years of rewarding and celebrating secondary school students thriving in the subject dreaded by students in Nigeria.
Last week, to mark this celebration, organisers of the show, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, aired a special edition of the Cowbellpedia show titled ‘Cowbell Milk of Kindness’.
The programme highlighted the remarkable contributions of Cowbell Milk to Mathematics in the country through the voices of student participants in a special ‘docu-feature’ produced to commemorate the relationship between Cowbell and Mathematics in the last twenty years.
Parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders in the education sector have applauded Promasidor Nigeria Limited for this continued support and sponsorship of this program.
The impact of the mathematics quiz show has been massive in arousing and re-awakening the interest of students, especially at the secondary school level as testified to by several teachers.
One of such teachers was Mr Hamzat Dankanawa of Nigeria Tulip International College, Abuja, who has been in the profession for over two decades.
With a vast knowledge in tutoring Mathematics, Mr Danakawa towered above his peers for being able to motivate students to participate in the Cowbellpedia competition consistently over the years.
As a mentor and teacher, he equally noted that the impact of the competition on the students could not be quantified as the programme has helped the students to expand their horizon in the subject.
Another teacher with the Federal Government Science Academy, Suleja, Niger State, Mr Olugbenga Otunnubi, also remains a shining star in his commitment to teaching and nurturing students for Mathematics and participating in Cowbellpedia competition for several years.
Mr Otunubi, with about three decades experience as a teacher, is described as an exceptional Mathematics teacher by his colleagues. He also lauded the Cowbellpedia initiative for its impact on the lives of students and future inventors.
On his part, Mr Femi Fasotito, teacher of the 2015 and 2017 champion of the competition, Munachi Ernest-Eze, commended Promasidor for what he described as an unparalleled intervention to support Mathematics education in Nigeria.
For his role in building a champion, Mr Fasotito received N250,000 cash prize in 2015 and another N400,000 in 2017.
“I am a fulfilled teacher today because the performance of my students in various external examinations is now the major talking point among teachers in the school. It has also become a thing of pride for the school,” he enthused.
Munachi himself, who was a student of Loyola Jesuit School in Abuja, got N750,000 as the junior champion in 2015 and N1 million as a senior champion two years later, in addition to educational excursions outside the country.
Munachi’s parents, Mr and Mrs Ike Ernest-Eze, disclosed that Promasidor and Cowbellpedia have made them the happiest couple and parents in the world.
In 2016, Promasidor began to encourage mixed schools to present a minimum of two girls for each category to represent them in a bid to promote girl-child education further.
A direct impact of the girl-child campaign championed by UNICEF was felt in 2016 when 8 of the 12 finalists in the Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show competition were girls.
Recognising this effort, Ms Jean Gough, Country Representative of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in her goodwill message, commended the Cowbellpedia team for its commitment to education for all in Nigeria.
She maintained that investing in girl education is perhaps the most cost-effective opportunity to break the cycle of poverty permanently.
Ms Jean Gough was represented by Charles Nzuki, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, at the 20th-anniversary celebrations.
An impressed National Examination Council (NECO) also commended Promasidor for stimulating the interest of Nigerian students in Mathematics through Cowbellpedia.
From its beginning in 1998, Cowbell and Mathematics have expanded in size, scope, and prizes. It now holds in over 200 centres across the nation and over 11,000 schools.
To further underscore its expansion, the number of students participating jumped from 33,269 in 2015 to over 50,000 in 2017. In 2018 registration took a new turn to strictly online from which over 40,000 students registered and sat for the examination conducted on Saturday, February 17, 2018.
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.
