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GCSS, Borikiri crowned champion of 2026 NLNG Science Contest
The 2026 NLNG Science Contest came to a remarkable close on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borikiri, emerged winner after a strong performance in the grand finale.
The contest, themed “Powering Tomorrow: Science and Innovative Solutions” brought students from across Rivers State in a showcase of knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving skills to promote STEM education, encourage healthy academic competition, and nurture future scientists, engineers and technologists.
After several rounds of intense intellectual challenge, Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borikiri, outperformed other contestants to clinch the top prize.
The victory marked the conclusion of a rigorous three-phased contest comprising the Championship, Science Project Exhibition, and Grand Finale. The school distinguished itself through accuracy, composure, and a strong grasp of science concepts.
In the Science Project Exhibition, Government Girls Secondary School Orominieke secured the top position, followed by Oginigba Comprehensive Secondary school Oginigba in second place, and Government Girls Secondary School Finima-Bonny in third place.
Speaking at the finale, Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development of NLNG, described the contest as a deliberate investment in the future of young people and in the development of Nigeria’s next generation of innovators.
“The NLNG Science Contest provides the framework required for innovation-led projects to thrive, as NLNG continues to inspire a sustainable future through the power of science”.
“This platform now serves as a genuine catalyst for excellence. We have redesigned it to strengthen foundational knowledge in Mathematics, ICT, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology across a much broader scope. Our goal is to go beyond the textbook, sparking the critical thinking and innovation that our world so urgently needs”, she said.
Horsfall emphasised that NLNG remains committed to promoting quality education and strengthening interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, adding that the future of the country would depend largely on young minds who could think critically, innovate boldly, and provide solutions to real-life challenges.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Rivers State, Hon. Dr. Peters Nwagor, stated that education remains the foundation upon which scientific innovation thrives, noting that it equips young minds with critical thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and the confidence to transform ideas into practical solutions. He said the Rivers State Government recognizes the strategic importance of science education in building a prosperous and competitive society.
“The Rivers State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, remains committed to strengthening the education sector through improved infrastructure, capacity building for teachers, curriculum enhancement, and the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education,” he said.
Addressing the students participating in the competition, the Commissioner congratulated them for reaching that stage. He described their participation as evidence of hard work, determination, discipline, and intellectual excellence. He added that whether or not they emerged winners, they had already distinguished themselves as future scientists, innovators, engineers, researchers, and leaders.
The 2026 NLNG Science Contest commenced with 140 secondary schools from across Rivers State, out of which seven schools qualified for the final round. In the Science Project Exhibition category, 11 out of 42 schools advanced to the final stage of the competition.
First introduced in 2008 and relaunched in 2020 after a six-year pause for process improvement, the NLNG Science Contest has continued to grow as a major platform for promoting excellence in science education.
The recent introduction of the Science Project Exhibition has further expanded the scope of the contest, giving students an opportunity to showcase practical solutions to scientific and environmental challenges while deepening their engagement with STEM.
The competition is organised in partnership with the Rivers State Ministry of Education, the Rivers State Chapter of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN), and Dragnet Solutions Limited.
Over the years, the competition has become a strong platform for identifying talent, encouraging innovation, and inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technologists in Rivers State.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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