The expectation of the on-going 2019 edition of Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics Television Quiz Show sponsored by Cowbell Milk, the flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, has become heightened with the aspiration that the initiative is capable of producing another Chike Obi
The Late Chike Obi (April 17, 1921 – March 13, 2008) was a Nigerian mathematician and professor who placed the country on a global map.
Without the use of modern technological aid such as computers, Obi, in 1997, gave a scientific proof to a 361-year old mathematical puzzle known as Fermat’s Last Theorem.
The theorem, well known among mathematicians and other allied professions, was enunciated by one of the two leading mathematicians of the first half of the 17th Century, Pierre de Fermat, a French.
Interestingly, Nigeria has also been placed on the global map consistently by Cowbellpedia, a brand asset of Cowbell milk and Cowbellpedia champions. According to information from the National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, Cowbellpedia champions are among the top 10 competitors in Mathematics competitions around the world.
In the last two decades, the initiative has produced champions and heroes. For instance, in 2017, Munachi Ernest-Eze, a student of Loyola Jesuit College Abuja, set a new record by winning both the Junior and Senior categories of the Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics Television Quiz Show within a period of two years.
Emmanuel Mebude, a student of Ogunlade Memorial Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos, also set a new competition record in speed and accuracy. He answered 17 questions in the “60 Seconds of Fame” segment in the preliminary rounds of the Senior category.
The 2018 finals equally produced another hero in Faith Odunsi, a student of The Ambassador College, Ota Ogun State, who set a new competition record in speed and accuracy by answering 19 questions in the “60 Seconds of Fame” segment to advance to the semi-finals of the year’s edition in the junior category.
Abiodun Ayodeji, Marketing Manager, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk which sponsors the initiative, maintains that the objective of Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz Show, is to provide a platform to reward excellence in Mathematics irrespective of the economic and social strata of students
He disclosed that student enrolment has been increasing on a yearly basis and in 2019, a total of 56,073 students sat for Stage One examination of the competition. This marks a 34 percent increase over the 41,730 students who took part in the examination last year, when the registration format became strictly online.
The competition, he said, has also witnessed progressive increase in participation in the last four years, during which 195,474 students have participated in the Stage One examinations.
Ayodeji equally maintained that the Cowbellpedia initiative has met its objectives of awakening the consciousness and interest in Mathematics amongst Junior and senior secondary school students in Nigeria
He stressed the brand and the Nigerian child have gained a lot from the Cowbellpedia initiative, citing the example of Master Ayodeji Akinkuowo, the senior category winner of the maiden edition of Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Quiz Show who got a government scholarship to Russia, now studying aeronautic engineering.
With N2 million winning prize and bragging right at stake, the 108 students who scaled the hurdles of the qualifying examination held in February, were optimistic about their chances of becoming the 2019 Cowbellpedia champion.
The mental fireworks continue this weekend. It will be aired to millions of viewers on DSTv Africa Magic Family Channel, AIT Network and other six television stations across the country.
