12-year-old Daniel Nkanu has been announced as the winner of the 2023 edition of the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee competition.
Daniel, a student of Intimacy with Christ International, Nasarawa, won the competition after spelling eight words correctly in a spell-off against 11-year-old Oluwadamilola Adeolu in the finale, which was held at the MTN Head Office in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The mPulse Spelling Bee Competition aims to encourage academic growth and self-improvement for students in primary and secondary schools between the ages of 9 and 15. It began in August 2023, with participation from over 30,000 students across the country.
Nkanu will assume leadership of MTN Nigeria for a day and become the face of mPulse for a year, a statement said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, MTN Nigeria, Obiageli Ugboma, congratulated the contestants for making it into the finals.
Ugboma, who reiterated MTN’s commitment to promoting digital literacy in Nigeria, said, “The mPulse Spelling Bee Competition is a platform that empowers young Nigerians to become great spellers, and public speakers and attain their full potential. As the next set of frontrunners from this initiative, we are proud of your brilliance and excited about the impact you will have on other young ones. It is our hope to see you thrive individually and contribute collectively to the growth of Nigeria and the broader African development story.”
Daniel will receive a N2.5m scholarship grant, laptop, smartphone, and an MTN goody bag in addition to being MTN Nigeria’s CEO for a day.
The spelling bee champion’s school will also receive cutting-edge ICT devices, including 10 laptops and 10 Hynet Modems, while her spelling coach/teacher will receive a cash prize of N500,000.
Sharing his excitement at emerging triumphant, Daniel, beaming with joy, said, “It feels like a dream to me, I am speechless. It was a tough competition, but I am very happy I came this far and won in the end.”
Alongside Daniel, the first and second runners-up, Oluwadamilola Adeolu and Ajibola Flourish, both from St Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado Ekiti, and other finalists received prizes totalling over N10m as well as numerous goody bags.
