Twenty public schools participated in the 2026 spelling bee organised by Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, with two pupils emerging as champions in a contest designed to encourage academic excellence among young learners.
Ogar Destiny of Arowosegbe Nursery/Primary School, Lagbaji, Ketu, won the primary school category, while Mistura Haruna of Ketu Comprehensive Senior High School claimed the secondary school title. The competition took place on Thursday at the council headquarters, bringing pupils together to demonstrate their spelling skills and academic preparation.
The primary school category saw Mercy Ayeni of Apostolic Nursery/Primary School, Kosofe, finish as first runner-up, while Naomi Ugochukwu of Anglican Nursery/Primary School, Odogun, came third. In the secondary school category, Bolarinwa Ayomide and Ocheme Gift, both of Odogun Community High School, secured second and third positions, respectively.
Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Adetola Abubakar, presented prizes to the winners and gifts to other participants, explaining that the competition was intended to strengthen pupils' commitment to learning. She said the contest progresses from preliminary rounds within classrooms and schools to a grand finale, giving pupils an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in a competitive environment.
Abubakar described the finalists as winners in their own right, stressing that the council recognised the effort required to reach the concluding stage. She also praised teachers for their dedication to pupils' academic development, noting that their work in helping children understand their lessons deserved greater appreciation.
“The teachers are wonderful. They are doing their best, and we are also very proud of them. We don’t celebrate teachers enough,” she said, encouraging them to continue supporting their pupils.
Beyond the spelling bee, the council is pursuing initiatives aimed at improving girls' welfare, safety and access to education through its SHE programme, which stands for Safety, Health and Education.
The programme provides schoolgirls with monthly supplies of sanitary pads and other personal hygiene products, including body spray, soap and tissue. According to Abubakar, the intervention is designed to ease the financial pressure on families and ensure that menstrual hygiene needs do not become an additional obstacle for girls.
Protecting girls from abuse is another aspect of the council's approach. Abubakar disclosed that a dedicated department handles complaints involving girls and said the administration would not tolerate molestation, sexual abuse or harassment.
She also rejected traditional attitudes that restrict girls' ambitions or assign them a lesser place in society, reaffirming the council's commitment to their education and equal opportunities.
“The girl-child is no less important than any other child. In the past, people used to say that a girl’s place is in the kitchen. Nowadays, a girl’s place is right in front,” Abubakar said.
The competition's recognition of young academic talent and the council's support for girls reflect two important dimensions of educational development, namely creating opportunities for children to excel and ensuring they have the support and protection needed to pursue their ambitions.
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