EDUCATION
Interswitch extends registrations for InterswitchSPAK Nigeria 3.0

Registration for the InterswitchSPAK 3.0 National Science competition has been extended till Saturday, June 5. This announcement was made in a statement by Interswitch Group, the foremost pan-African digital payment and commerce company. Parents, guardians and secondary school administrators are hereby advised to utilise the extended registration window to get their best science students in Grade 11 or Senior Secondary 2 (SS2) for the competition to register on the InterswitchSPAK portal.
InterswitchSPAK is an annual pan-African competition aimed at re-igniting and incentivizing the study of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects among secondary school students.
For registration, each school is required to present its best science students in SS2. Each school can register a minimum of six (6) and a maximum of ten (10) students.
However, for mixed schools, at least two female students must be among the selected students. Every registered student will participate in the qualifying examination online, from their schools, homes or any convenient space. The top 81 students will proceed to the finale to battle for the crown of Nigeria’s Best Science Student.
Schools that want to register their best science students are required to visit https://www.interswitchspak.com/ to commence registration.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the qualifying examination for this edition will be conducted online, there are options to pick from between Sunday, June 6 till Tuesday, June 8, 2021 any time between 8am to 6pm. Demo materials are also available on the examination portal link which will be shared with qualified candidates only.
Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Marketing and Communication Officer, Interswitch, stated that the competition is returning after the one-year hiatus and it was only logical to extend the registration period to give another opportunity to students and schools who would love to participate in the competition however couldn’t meet up with the initial timeline. Despite the disruption caused by the global pandemic, she encouraged more girls to participate in this third edition of the on-going registration.
Eromosele said: “This year, we are quite excited about this edition. Following the long hiatus caused by COVID-19, we trust that there will be increased participation in this competition. There has been an increase in the number of girls participating in the competition. Our commitment at Interswitch is to continually inculcate knowledge, aptitude and confidence, with a focus on improving the standard of education in Nigeria.”
She encouraged teachers, school administrators, parents and guardians to ensure their students are registered. She also encouraged the students to take hold of this opportunity to pursue their dreams.
The coveted prize is N12.5 million worth of university scholarship for the top three winners. The first prize winner gets N7.5 million tertiary scholarship spread over 5 years, a laptop and monthly stipends. The second prize is N4 million spread over 3 years and a laptop and the third prize is N1 million for 1 year.
The last edition saw Oyindamola Aje, a 16-year-old student of Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, emerging as winner, while the duo of 15-year-old Oluwatobi Ojo and Onyekachi Madumere (both of Apt Scholar Universal College, Ogun State) came second and third, respectively.
With the extension, the InterswitchSPAK 3.0 registration portal will close on Saturday, June 5, 2021
EDUCATION
Engr. Kayode Ojo Felicitates With Teachers, Says, They are Impetus In Nation Building
A governorship Aspirant under All Progressives Congress APC in Ekiti State Engr. Kayode Ojo greets the teachers on World Teachers Day, describing them as great impetus and steam for the development of any society.
“Teachers’ roles at modelling both children and youths towards nation building cannot be under estimated”, hence the need to always prioritise their welfares. “
Engr. Kayode Ojo made the assertion in a statement issued and made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on this year’s Teachers Day celebration.
The APC governorship Hopeful described Ekiti Teachers as partners in progress if properly renumerated, especially with prompt salary payment, training, retraining, incentive, motivation, and promotion, among others.
He commended them over their sacrifices to impact positively on the lives of both Students and Youth in the State, despite numerous challenges facing them at discharging their duties due to what he called systematic errors under the present administration in the State.
“Teaching profession needs to be treated with desired respect and dignity because of its foundational roles at developing the society by incurcating both academic and social values on the lives of the People.
The current Pro Chancellor and Chairman Governing council, University of Nigeria Nsukka UNN, commended President Bola Tinubu for prioritising Teachers Welfares as one of the cardinal policies of his administration, hence the need for various State Governors to compliment and support the president policy.
The industrialist and engineer turned Politician assured teachers in Ekiti State of more conducive atmosphere to operate if voted into power during this month APC governorship primary and 2026 elections in the State.
According to him, teachers in Ekiti will be compensated with incentives, training, prompt payment of salary, and general motivation.
While congratulating all Teachers in Ekiti on this year celebration, Ojo urged them to continue to put in their best to develop the state.
EDUCATION
Stakeholders confirm Ifako-Ijaiye becoming most educated LG in Lagos
…As lawmaker distributes educational materials to students
Ifako-Ijaiye has been named one of the most educated local government area of Lagos state by stakeholders in the education sector of Lagos state.This was as the lawmaker representing Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency I at the State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewale Temitope Adedeji, distributed thousands of school materials to students of the local government as part of his ‘Back To School Support Initiative’.The event, which took place at Fagba Junior Grammar School, Ifako-Ijaiye, attracted hundreds of schoolchildren, parents, teachers, community leaders, and stakeholders.Items distributed by the lawmaker included 500 school bags, 6,000 exercise books, 10,000 writing materials, 500 mathematical sets, 1,000 pairs of socks, and 500 water bottles.Speaking at the event, Hon. Adewale said the gesture, which is the 5th, was aimed at easing the financial burden of parents while motivating pupils to excel in their studies.Adewale, who distributed GCE and JAMB forms to candidates earlier in the year, said his effort was to complement the unwavering commitment of President Bola Tinubu in the education sector.

“Many people do not understand that service and leadership start from the grassroots. This is one thing that has kept Asiwaju Tinubu formidable over the years. His passion to bring education to children while as governor of Lagos state remains the most effective education strategy in recent times.“Today, we recognize him as the best President Nigeria has had. This is why I also encourage people to do the little that they can. The education of our children cannot be left to the government and parents alone,” he said.Adewale said education remains one of his top priorities as a legislator, describing it as the “bedrock of human and societal development.”He assured the students that as they excel, they would benefit from the free GCE and JAMB forms initiative as well as the scholarship scheme of the Adewale Temitope Adedeji Educational Initiative (ATA-EI).In his remarks, the Lagos Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Tolani Ali-Balogun, said Ifako-Ijaiye has been projected to become one of the most educated local government area in the state.Commending the lawmaker for his investment in education and support for the government, in he urged the beneficiaries to be focused on their studies as a way to encourage the lawmaker to do more.On his part, Dr. Afolabi Abiodun Tajudeen, Special Adviser on Political, Legislative and Civic Engagement to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, tasked the students to focus on their studies so they could enjoy a brighter future.The Tutor-General and Permanent Secretary, Education District 1, Dr Oyetola Olufunke Idowu, further confirmed that the lawmaker’s support for the government’s education stride saying this had started yielding results in the area looking at examination results of 2023 and 2024.Some of the beneficiaries promised to use the materials judiciously.
EDUCATION
Tinubu’s Education Policy Will Boost Literacy In Nigeria By 100% – Lawmaker
By 2031, Nigeria would have achieved 100 percent literacy level across the country, a Lagos lawmaker, Hon. Temitope Adedeji Adewale, has said.
Adewale, who represents Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency I at the State House of Assembly, made the assertion after inspecting the screening session for the distribution of his free GCE forms to prospective candidates in Lagos on Saturday.
The lawmaker commended the Federal Government for the various initiatives aimed at pulling the youth off the streets and engaging them in meaningful ventures including education.
He noted that since the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) by the President Bola Tinubu administration, more Nigerians are eager for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.

“You see, Mr. President is doing everything possible to boost the literacy level in the country. And given the way the government is going, by the end of President Tinubu’s second term in 2031, Nigeria will be boasting a 100 percent literacy rate and this would include resolving the issue of out-of-school kids,” Adewale said.
As at April, 2025, NELFUND said over 500,000 students had applied for loans across Nigeria.
The lawmaker described the figure as encouraging adding that it would help the government with future projections.
“It also gladens the heart that the state governments continue to support the Federal Government with various initiatives. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu attended the graduation ceremony of 5,300 residents from the Lagos Skill Acquisition Programmes. This means 5,300 residents are off the labour market.
“We are giving out 400 forms this year. We also give out JAMB forms because we know that education remains the strongest tool we can use to change lives and shape the future.
“This programme is part of my promise to ensure no student misses an opportunity because of financial constraints. Our goal remains to make Ifako-Ijaiye the most educated local government in Nigeria by 2031,” he said.
He said that through the Adewale Temitope Educational Initiatives (ATA-EI), he has given out over 8000 free GCE and JAMB forms so far with at least 120 students on scholarships in various tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“This says a lot about the government’s interest in the youth and, given another term with President Tinubu and our party in power, Nigerians will look back sometime in the future and thank God that we had this chance,” he added.
