12-Year-Old Wins 2023 MTN Spelling Bee Contest

Oluchi Chibuzor 

A 12-year-old student of Intimacy With Christ Secondary School, Nasarawa, Master Nkanu Daniel Victor, has won the 2023 MTN mpulse spelling bee competition, designed to enhance education.

The competition, which received 300,000 entries, saw Victor winning a N2.5 million scholarship grant, a laptop, a smartphone, and a mpulse goody bag.

He was also made a one-day MTN CEO among the other top 20 contestants, while his school also received 10 laptops and MTN MiFi broadband devices. His teacher also received a cheque of N500,000. 

Other winners include Oluwadamilola Adeolu, 11, and Flourish Ajibola, 13, both of St. Metropolitan College, Ekiti State. They also received scholarships, laptop computers, and mpulse goody bags, while 17 others received consolation prizes. 

Speaking at the grand finale of the MTN mpulse spelling competition, held in Lagos, the General Manager, Segment and Devices, MTN, Nigeria, Idowu Adesokan, said the mpulse spelling bee was part of their way of supporting education in Nigeria.

“For instance, the school of the winner has been given about 10 to 20 laptops and other educational materials. We also give the students scholarships and grants to also support them,” said Adesokan.

The mpulse, he explained, started during the holidays with over 300,000 students applying through its website, adding that after it was trimmed to 100, only the top 20 were invited to Lagos.

Speaking with journalists, an elated Victor, whose school had won the 2022 edition, described his victory as the product of five months’ preparation behind closed-door camping with his mates and their coach.

He said, ” I really want to thank my parents, coach, MTN, my school and my mates. I prepared well because of my coach. He took us to a separate place just to read and I have been preparing before the date of the competition, that is about five months.”