"Nigerian society is no longer celebrating academic excellence. It’s not even Yahoo culture anymore, now we have a 'Peller culture.' This 'Olodo' uprising we are witnessing is terrible. It feels like we are trying so hard to accommodate ignorance so people won’t feel bad, and now they seem to be the majority”
Rapper Ycee
25,000 students have now registered for the 2027 South East Maths Olympiad.
Boys: 11,570
Girls: 13,430
State Breakdown
Imo - 7,819
Enugu - 5,813
Abia - 5,178
Ebonyi - 4,438
Anambra - 1,752
This is becoming one of the largest academic competitions on the African continent.
What excites me most is not the numbers.
It's the fact that 25,000 young minds voluntarily signed up to challenge themselves in mathematics, problem-solving, critical thinking, and discipline.
While others are investing in consumption, we are investing in human capital.
The future of any society is determined by the quality of its children.
If we consistently identify, train, challenge, and support these students over the next 10 years, the South East can produce one of the most skilled workforces in Africa.
Today's Olympiad participants are tomorrow's engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators, and nation-builders.
This is bigger than a competition.
It is a workforce development project for the future of Africa.
Nigeria has now been delisted from the International Maths Olympiad, whose finals are happening in Shanghai, China, this July.
It is one of the most prestigious academic competitions in the world.
Nigeria can now only participate as an observer nation, while other countries can participate fully.
This was because of the Ministry of Education’s inability to fund students for 4 consecutive years through National Mathematical Center.
It’s a big shame for Nigeria.