By Efe Onodjae
Iwerekun Community Senior High School, Ibeju-Lekki, has emerged the winner of the 10th edition of Tolaram Science Challenge (TSC), marking their third consecutive win. The school triumphed over Magbon-Alade Senior Grammar School in a keenly contested grand finale of the competition.
The Tolaram Science Challenge, sponsored by Lagos Free Zone, is an annual science competition for schools in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos and has become a flagship contest that brings together bright young minds from secondary schools across the area. The competition enables them to showcase innovative ideas and practical solutions to real-world challenges through STEM education.
The competition features 16 participating secondary schools, each represented by six students. The students were tested in five core subject areas: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and General Knowledge. At the end of the keenly contested competition, Ibeju Senior High School, Lekki and Community Senior High School, Lekki came third and fourth, respectively. Apart from that, three students with outstanding performances- Nyong Jebson, Adekunle Ephraim and Ashikodi Chukwu also secured first, second and third positions, respectively. Each of them was rewarded with a cash prize.
Speaking at the grand finale, Director, Zone Development, Binay Saraf, who represented Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Adesuwa Ladoja, described the decade-old competition as a remarkable milestone which started as a modest initiative and has grown into one of the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility programmes of Lagos Free Zone.
“Over the past decade, we have seen this event grow in scale, participation, and impact. Each year, more schools, more students and more teachers have joined us on this journey of discovery and learning. Today, the Tolaram Science Challenge has become a platform that encourages curiosity, innovation, critical thinking and healthy competition. More importantly, it has become a symbol of our commitment to investing in the future of our communities,” Ladoja said.
She noted that the company’s commitment to the competition to date reflects its belief that today’s students are tomorrow’s innovators, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
“At Lagos Free Zone and Tolaram, we believe that developing communities goes beyond building infrastructure or creating jobs. It also means creating opportunities for young people to learn, grow and discover their potential,” she said.
She charged students to see competitions not as a matter of winning a trophy, but as opportunities to develop confidence, learn to solve problems, work as a team, and discover what they are capable of achieving. “Whether you receive a prize today or not, the knowledge you gain, the friendships you build and the experience you take away will remain with you for life,” she added.
Also speaking, Director and Chief Sustainability Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Vishal Shah, noted that the Zone remains committed to improving the quality of education in the Ibeju-Lekki axis through the initiative.
Shah stressed that over the past 10 years, the initiative has fostered healthy competition among pupils and improved performance in various qualifying examinations.
In his remarks, the Visioner of the Tolaram Science Challenge, Olakunle Fadumiye, said the intent behind the competition was to ensure participants return to their schools as ambassadors of excellence and possibility, regardless of whether they are in or not.
