Iwerekun Community Senior High School in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, has emerged as the winner of the 10th edition of the Tolaram Science Challenge (TSC), marking its third consecutive victory.
The school triumphed over Magbon-Alade Senior Grammar School in a keenly contested grand finale of the competition.
The Tolaram Science Challenge, sponsored by the Lagos Free Zone, is an annual science competition for schools in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos. It has become a flagship event that showcases bright young minds from secondary schools, allowing them to present innovative ideas and practical solutions to real-world challenges through STEM education.
This year’s competition featured 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. Following a closely contested competition, Ibeju Senior High School, Lekki, and Community Senior High School, Lekki, took third and fourth places, respectively.
The three outstanding students: Nyong Jebson, Adekunle Ephraim and Ashikodi Chukwu, secured first, second, and third positions, respectively, and each received a cash prize for their exceptional performances.
During the grand finale, the director of Zone Development, representing Chief Executive Officer Adesuwa Ladoja of Lagos Free Zone, Binay Saraf, described the decade-long competition as a significant milestone saying, ‘it started as a modest initiative and has grown into one of the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility programmes of the Lagos Free Zone.’
‘Over the past decade, we have seen this event grow in scale, participation, and impact. Each year, more schools, students, and teachers have joined us on this journey of discovery and learning,’ he added .
Today, the Tolaram Science Challenge has become a platform that encourages curiosity, innovation, critical thinking, and healthy competition. More importantly, it symbolizes our commitment to investing in the future of our communities,’ Ladoja stated.
She emphasised that the company’s investment in the competition 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 added.
Ladoja encouraged students to view competitions not merely as opportunities to win trophies but as chances to develop confidence, solve problems, work as a team, and learn about their capabilities. ‘Whether you receive a prize today or not, the knowledge you gain, the friendships you build, and the experiences you take away will remain with you for life,’ she noted.
Director and Chief Sustainability Officer of Lagos Free Zone, Vishal Shah, reaffirmed the Zone’s commitment to improving the quality of education in the Ibeju-Lekki area through this initiative. He highlighted that over the past decade, the initiative has fostered healthy competition among students and improved their performance in various qualifying examinations.
In the same vein, the visioner of the Tolaram Science Challenge, Olakunle Fadumiye, expressed that the intent behind the competition is to ensure participants return to their schools as ambassadors of excellence and possibility, regardless of their outcomes.
‘When we started in 2016, many students had little motivation to pursue science subjects. Some preferred fishing and informal work over education because they saw limited opportunities. University seemed unattainable to many. Yet we believed that if we could inspire even a few students to dream bigger, we could begin changing the future of an entire community,’ Fadumiye explained.
He commended the leadership team of Tolaram and the Lagos Free Zone for establishing a foundation that symbolizes economic transformation and national development. He urged LFZ to continue providing TSC alumni with preference for industrial training opportunities, internships, and NYSC placements within the Zone, noting that these experiences would equip them with essential practical experience, professional exposure, and workplace skills for future success.
In her remarks, the deputy director of the Schools Support Unit, Education District 3, Ikoyi, Lagos, Mrs Olubunmi Ajibola-Morebise, praised the management of Lagos Free Zone and Tolaram for maintaining the vision that has sustained the competition to this day.
She emphasized that there is no doubt the competition has positively impacted students in Ibeju-Lekki by fostering a better reading culture and promoting healthy competition among teachers.
In total, 32 students were awarded scholarships for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).