Community Senior High School, Lekki, has emerged winner of the 2023 Tolaram Science Challenge (TSC), defeating Magbon Alade Senior Grammar School at the grand finale of the competition sponsored by the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) Company.
 
The Tolaram Science Challenge is a yearly science-based competition for schools located within the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos, where the Free Zone is situated. The competition is the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the company aimed at developing and promoting science education among students within the area.
  
Sixteen secondary schools participated in this year’s edition of the competition, with each school represented by six students. 
The students were tested in five core subject areas, namely: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and General Knowledge. At the end of the week-long competition, Community High School, Akodo, finished third, while Eagle’s Vision International School, Orofun, came fourth.
  
At the closing ceremony, the top three students in the competition were rewarded with cash certificates and other consolation prizes. Also, the best students from the 16 participating schools were awarded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scholarship for their outstanding performances.
 
Speaking during the closing ceremony, the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr Okesanya Abiodun, expressed appreciation to Tolaram for being a torchbearer of progress, shaping the lives of students in the communities for a brighter tomorrow through the competition. He encouraged other corporate organisations to emulate Tolaram by investing in children and youths, who are the next generation of leaders.
 
Okesanya noted that everyone, including teachers, parents and guardians, as well as corporate organisations, owe it a duty to collectively nurture a generation of young minds who would lead change in creating sustainable development for the betterment of Lagos and making it a 21st-century economy.

He said: “Today, I celebrate not just the winners of this competition but every one of you who dared to participate and contribute your ideas to the collective pool of human knowledge. The winners should see this competition as a stepping stone to a greater height and not relent in their studies.
  
“Also, to those who cannot win this time, I encourage you to prepare and study hard next time. Your participation in this event is a sign that you are all committed to your academics.”
  
The Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone, Dinesh Rathi, commended all the stakeholders for their support, noting that competition has become a veritable platform for creating champions for Nigeria’s future.

 
Rathi said that one of the social impacts of the competition was the emergence of one of the participants of the 2016 and 2017 editions of the competition, Kabiru Olakunle, as the best-graduating student from the School of Transport and Logistics at the 26th convocation Ceremony of Lagos State University (LASU) held recently.
  
He congratulated Community High School for emerging as the winner of the 2023 edition of the competition.  Rathi explained that the company is delighted with how the competition has evolved since its inception in 2016.
 
He noted that the competition has helped in generating and encouraging intellectual curiosity among students, which would serve as the bedrock needed to take Nigeria to greater heights. “
 
“In any competition, there are winners and losers. But at Tolaram Science Challenge, we believe there are winners and learners. There are no losers; all the students are learners,” he said.
  
Speaking shortly after receiving the trophy, the team captain, Community Senior High School, Lekki, Lot Stephen, expressed delight at the success recorded by his team at this year’s competition, noting that the performance is a product of hard work and dedication from all the members of the team.
  
The competition is supported by other companies present in the zone, including Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Lekki Freeport Terminal, Dufil Prima Foods Limited, producers of Indomie Instant Noodles, and TG Arla –producers of Dano Milk and Kelloggs.