Lagos Student Wins 2025 National Mathematics Competition

A student of Ferscoat School, Ipaja, Lagos, Oluwadarasimi Idowu has emerged the winner of the 2025 National Mathematics Competition (NMC).

The event, held at Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto (UDUS), featured representatives from all 36 states of the federation in the final.

Two students from Ferscoat School represented Lagos State at the national level, having won the state edition of the competition.

Idowu competed in the Senior Category and came first out of 22 participants, while representatives of Benue and Oyo States emerged as first and second runners-up.

Sunday Dominion, also from Ferscoat School, competed in the junior category but placed ninth at the Olympiad out of 23 participants. Ogun State won first and second positions, while Oyo came third.

The Coordinator, Mr N. Abdul, said that all the students who represented Lagos State gave a good account of themselves, which resulted in the state winning the highest number of awards in the competition.

Abdul noted that competitions do not have a syllabus or a scheme of work that can be used as a guide for preparation, hence the need for teachers to prepare students beyond their level.

The state came third in the primary category, but dropped out after the fourth round in the senior category.

While celebrating the school’s impressive performance, Principal Fred Opata attributed the success to the hard work put in by the entire school community to ensure excellence at all levels.

Talking about incentives to motivate teachers for outstanding performances, Opata said: “The school will do the right thing for the learner and teacher.

The 16-year-old Idowu described her feat in a unique way: “Honestly, my motivation was a mix of my own drive and the support I got from people around me. I wanted to prove to myself that with hard work and consistency, I could really achieve something big. At the same time, I thought about my parents’ sacrifices, my teachers who continued to believe in me, and even my friends who challenged me to do better. I didn’t want to disappoint them, and that kept me going.”

“The competition was both tough and exciting. At first, I was a bit tense, but once I started, I realised some questions just needed careful thinking. Overall, it stretched me, taught me a lot, but I enjoyed the whole process,” Idowu stated.

Her coach, who is also the school’s mathematics teacher, Peter Akintayo, while recalling the preparations that led to the learners’ performance, said the students were given past questions, mock drills, and time-bound exercises to sharpen their speed and accuracy.

Beyond academics, Akintayo said the team encouraged the students with words by reminding them of their potential.

On plans for improvements and lessons learnt from the competition, Akintayo said preparations must go beyond knowledge, adding that learners must build confidence and composure.

“Going forward, we plan to introduce more simulation exercises, broaden their exposure to diverse problem types, and strengthen mentorship so that every learner, not just the champions, can excel even further.