MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2021: Winner’s Tale of Victory

Akinyele Ademoyegun, the 12-year-old winner of the 2021 edition of the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee Competition, recounts his journey towards becoming the champion of a competition that kicked off with 13,000 participants. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

The day of the grand finale for the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee Competition was an important one for Akinyele Ademoyegun, a Senior Secondary One (SS1) student of Kaydel Comprehensive College, Ikorodu. Since the competition kicked off on September 1, he had been engrossed in spelling practice alongside schoolwork. Understandably, he was afraid on that day. His mother, teachers, friends and neighbours were all watching the show while he was on the hot seat, spelling all the altitudinous words that the moderator reeled out: Claustrophobic, Antiquarian, Herbaceous, Incunabulum and Ignoble. Finally, he won. His family, friends and neighbours jubilated.

The competition, which was organised by MTN, and supported by Nestlé Golden Morn, targeted nine- to 15-year-olds in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Out of the 13,000 participants that started the competition, 1,000 were selected from the first round and invited for the second round on the mPulse website. The first 20 students with the highest scores from the second round then qualified for the third stage, while the grand finale was done online via live video conferencing.

Ademoyegun’s residence in Ikorodu has a large compound that could fit a playgroup, but the young champ hardly plays outside his mother’s apartment.
“I love reading books a lot, especially those that are beyond my years and my class. I usually spend my leisure time reading books. When I was in junior school, I read books on Biology, Chemistry Physics,’’ he revealed.

He started reading dictionaries, memorising words and spellings in preparing for the competition. But he wouldn’t have known anything about the competition without the help of his relatives.

“My aunt sent the link to my mummy who then told me about it and I just participated. I had taken part in spelling bee competitions in church and my school before this one. And I had won,’’ he recounted. When asked if he had any technique of memorising, he responded, “Words usually stick in my head after I had seen it several times.

He believed he had to do more than reading. He chose to fast and pray in the grand finale, and his mother did the same in his support.

“I started by reading my dictionary, and I prayed to God for him to take control because, without God, one cannot achieve anything. God is my number one foundation teacher. My mother played a huge role in this too. And my teacher encouraged me to take on a lot of complex words. My tutors also encouraged me. When they heard about the competition, they hoped that I would win,’’ he said.

The news of his victory at the spelling bee competition was announced officially in his school, followed by applause.

“They were very happy for me. At least, I think that most of them were. My teachers were also happy for me too. When it was announced at the school, they were surprised, and I think some of them were happy,’’ he recounted.

As the first prize winner, he received N2 million scholarship fund, laptop, smartphone, mPulse goody bags and Nestle products. The previous mobile phone that he had was also a gift received from a competition. His mother, who is a petty trader, revealed that her son always had a winning streak as a child. In addition, he was said to have older friends, a fact that he would later validate.

“I don’t have an age bracket for the kinds of friends I keep. Most of my friends are always smart and serious. Sometimes, they are playful too. Some are older than I am. They are very mature; they don’t talk too much and they also love reading.’’

When his mother decided to move from their neighbourhood in Oshodi to Ikorodu, it was to ensure that he grew up in an environment that makes it easier to study. Thus, they left behind noisy streets, blaring sound speakers and potential bad company.

“Moving was a little hard but I managed to cope with it. Most of my routine changed. I had a new school, made new friends and saw new faces,’’ he recalled.

In his new neighbourhood, he found a place to learn computer programming. In his opinion, such skill is necessary to navigate our contemporary world.

“I learn it every day. You can use programming for a lot of things. You can use it to update your apps or create websites. Or even hack into a site. ICT knowledge is knowledge one must have because it can be very helpful in the near future. For now, I am not familiar with social media apps,’’ he revealed.

Under the strict watch of his mother, he is not allowed to have access to the internet without supervision. Although his school is at a trekking distance from his home, his mother insisted that he should join the school bus so that he wouldn’t be tempted to wander off after school hours. He has always had an after school teacher. After primary one, he got a double promotion. He was in the first position throughout his primary school and eventually finished with a distinction.

Now, in SS 1, he is not certain about his future choice of study. “For now, I am still praying on it and at the right time, I will decide,” he said.

Since he got the new laptop from MTN, he downloaded and saved some study materials. For him, the sky is the starting point.

MTN, the spelling bee sponsor, set up the mPulse service to equip students between the ages of nine and 15 with the resources they need to maximize their potential and be all they want to be. Spelling bee competitions are great extracurricular activities that help promote literacy, broaden vocabulary, sharpen comprehension and recollection skills, and provide participants with a positive goal.