The Head Full of Figures! 13-year-old emerges 2014 Cowbell National Maths champion

Thirteen-year-old Akintokun Adegboyega’s appearance does not convey anything special about him. He looks ordinary like many other pupils in his age bracket– harmless and innocent.

But beneath this innocence lies a head full of figures. Little wonder, he has again emerged the 2014 Cowbell National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition champion.

The young lad earlier in 2012 had emerged NASSMAC champion in the junior category.

In this latest feat, Adegboyega alongside another 13-year-old Deborah Adesina emerged the overall best Mathematics pupils at the grand finale held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, last Thursday.

Adegboyega, a pupil of Ota Total Academy, Ogun State, emerged tops in the senior category, while Adesina, a pupil of Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, came first in the junior category.

For their outstanding performance, the duo received monetary and sundry gifts from the organisers of the competition, Promasidor Nigeria Limited. The duo and their teachers will also enjoy an all-expense-paid holiday trip to Ghana, courtesy of PNL.

For coming first, Adegboyega’s earned N300, 000, just as his school received five desktop computers and printers. He scored 87 per cent out of 100, (41 in objective and 46 in theory questions) in the second stage of the competition.

Adesina, who scored 81 per cent out of 100 (35 in objective and 46 in theory) , also received N250, 000 for her industry. Her effort similarly made her school to receive five desktop computers and printers from the organisers.

Adegboyega, Adesina and 18 other pupils from across the country were among those honoured at the prize-giving ceremony in Akwa Ibom State. They were among the 29, 000 pupils who sat for the first and the second stages of the NASSMAC competitive examinations this year.

The other high flyers in the senior category are 15-year-old Fiyinfoluwa Abioye, a pupil of Nigerian Turkish International College, Wuse, Abuja, who came second with 85 per cent; and David Oluwasayo of Oritameta Baptist Model School, Ibadan, Oyo State, who emerged third, scoring 83 per cent.

They received N250, 000 and N200, 000 respectively in addition to other special gifts, including laptops and plaques. Their schools also received desktop computers and printers.

Two others -13-year-old Atolagbe Olayinka of the Turkish International College, Isheri, Ogun State;, and Stella Johnson of the Reality High School, Ilesha, Osun State, came second and third respectively in the junior category. While Olayinka took home N200, 000, Johnson got N150, 000.

Like other institutions that produced national winners, their schools got desktop computers and printers.