Academic Excellence Competition Winners Emerge in Lagos Amid Applause and Cheers

• In an era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), experts have said people should not rely solely on the famed machine
• Young Africans were urged to leverage the opportunity of AI to build and refine powerful knowledge
• Education stakeholders and Nigerian students converged in Lagos recently to celebrate academic excellence

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering education in Nigeria and worldwide.

Alimosho, Lagos state - Adekunle Aliyah, a student of Anchor Springfield School, Lagos, has emerged the overall winner of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI) 2025 Annual Award/Scholars Day programme.

Legit.ng reports that Aliyah bagged 84% in the quiz event to clinch the top prize.

In the competition, which attracted students from diverse backgrounds, Orisumibare Senior High School's Munachi Emmanuella came second, while Muhammed Beyioku of Minbar-minds College placed third after scoring 82%.

Speaking at the event, Taiwo Fagbemi, the chairman of the occasion, congratulated the organisers. Fagbemi asserted that it "takes a great deal of courage, vision, and dedication to put together such a meaningful programme for our children, one that promotes educational growth and academic excellence."

He said:

"As the theme of this year’s event says, 'Redefining Academic Excellence in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,' it is truly inspiring to see our children already catching up, especially in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence. There are countless opportunities embedded in what we now call Artificial intelligence (AI)."

Fagbemi expressed hope that young Nigerians focus on the positive and productive aspects of AI.

He added:

"While every innovation comes with its risks, AI, when used creatively, holds immense potential to help young minds achieve incredible things."

In the same vein, the Guest of Honour, Ambassador Tunji Sarafa Isola, said events like AEI's Scholars Day "are very important in our socio-economic development."

The former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) said:

"Education, as we all know, is the bedrock of progress in any society. When people come together with the intent to promote education, it is something truly commendable, and that is why I had no hesitation in identifying with your cause.

"On my part, and on a voluntary basis, I have always made it a duty to renew the minds of family members and those around me on the importance of education. Today, we are here speaking, sharing ideas, and engaging with one another because we are educated. Without education, our contributions and relevance in society would be limited."

Isola noted that the challenges facing his country's political development are deeply rooted in illiteracy and poverty. Both, he said, are critical concerns that affect the nation's democratic journey and the ability of citizens to meaningfully engage in the social and political development of our nation.

Isola said:

"What you have done here today, recognising and celebrating people who are promoting education, is a noble and inspiring gesture."

‘How to use AI to source scholarships,’ expert shares

Meanwhile, the keynote speaker, Tunde Aborode, shared an expert's perception on ethical and beneficial use of AI.

Aborode, the Research Director of the Healthy Africans Platform, United States, explained that AI is a revolution in the modern era. He, however, said that during the search for scholarship opportunities, one needs to understand his or her niche and story.

His words:

“AI can work in different aspects and stages in scholarships. The first part is the sourcing for the scholarship itself. Number two is that it can actually help in understanding the scholarship. Third, it can help in preparing the material for the scholarship.

“You can write down your profile and search for prompts. You can tell AI, ‘find me scholarships that match these criteria or eligibility’. Now, you list all your achievements below. It will respond with scholarships list that meet your level of proficiency.

“So, this is one of the benefits of AI. It eases stress. AI will bring your achievements to those scholarships that are online that you might not have the opportunity to be able to see. So, it eases the process of you searching for scholarships. It would give you scholarships that are in your field of endeavour, that are within your area of concentration, that are within your area of interest, and that are within your profile. So, it eases the journey for those who are searching for graduate and undergraduate scholarships.”

Speaking further, Aborode explained that “AI can help you only if you help yourself”.

He reasoned:

“If you don’t understand your story, AI cannot understand your story better than you. When you use AI, you need to use it wisely. For example, you want to write a statement of purpose, your statement of purpose will be based on your story. And AI cannot write a better story for you. You have to write your story. But what AI can do is, it can fine-tune your story to meet the taste you can have. AI can help you rewrite, modify, and embellish the essay to captivate the minds of the judges that are reviewing your scholarship application.”

How AI can help you overcome hurdles of scholarship

Legit.ng spoke to Aborode on the sidelines of the event. The research expert noted that AI can help education enthusiasts overcome the hurdles of the scholarship by preparing them for interviews.

He said:

"You can ask AI, ‘what should I be expecting in an interview for this particular scholarship’? It can bring out relevant questions that people have been searching on Facebook, Instagram, and what people have posted in the past that can help you, that can train you, and prepare your mind for the interview ahead. It can even give you the best-choice answers.”

Legit.ng reports that a total of 63 schools were represented in the AEI 2025 Annual Award/Scholars Day, with 197 students. The winners were rewarded with cash prizes.

Apart from the Scholars Day, AEI, the non-governmental organisation, puts together weekly coaching classes, leadership training, and youth orientation programmes.

Top personalities like Dr. Nasir Baba-Ahmed, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Octagon Cybersecurity, France, and Prince Michael Adewoye, Director of Racy and Sturgy Schools, Lagos state, also grace the 2025 Scholars Day. Messrs Baba-Ahmed and Adewoye dished out counsels to the students.

The list of winners is highlighted below:

Name: Adekunle Aliyah

School: Anchor Springfield School

Position: 1st position

Score: 42 out of 50

Percentage: 84%

Name: Munachi Emmanuella

School: Orisumibare Senior High School

Position: 2nd position

Score: 42 out of 50

Percentage: 84%

Name: Muhammed Beyioku

School: Minbar-minds College

Position: 3rd position

Score: 41 out of 50

Percentage: 82%

Name: Omobolanle Akanji

School: Dansol High School

Position: 4th position

Score: 40 out of 50

Percentage: 80%

Name: Daniel Adeh

School: Dansol High School

Position: 5th position

Score: 40 out of 50

Percentage: 80%

Name: Maryam Sideeqah Muyili

School: Minbar-minds College

Position: 6th position

Score: 39 out of 50

Percentage: 78%

Expert asks education stakeholders to uphold social justice

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Adesegun Ogungbayi, AEI's project coordinator, said the question of fairness and justice is "highly common" to all systems of life around the world and is not limited to educational systems and universities.

Ogungbayi charged Nigerian universities to strive to produce graduates who are fair and just in every aspect of life.

Source: Legit.ng