Don Bossco Academy, Ekpoma, Edo on Friday, emerged winners of the 2019 edition of the annual Seplat Pearls Quiz competition.

Don Bossco Academy defeated students of Peniel Academy Agbor, Delta, with 74 points to 58 points at the finals of the competition, which held at Imaguero College, Benin, Edo.

Deeper Life High School, Opete, Delta, had also beaten their peers from Brano high school, Benin to emerge third place winner with 69 points to 64.

The winning school, Don Bossco Academy got N7m cash prize to be used to execute projects in the school, while each of the students went home with N150,000.
Second place school, Peniel Academy got N3m prize money while the students got the sum of N75,000 each.
Winners of the third place, Deeper Life High School, Opete, Delta, got N1m for their performance while the students were rewarded with the sum of N50,000 each.
In his wecome address, Mr Austin Avuru, the Chief Executive Officer, Seplat, said the objective of the programme was to rekindle the spirit of academic excellence and healthy competition among the youth.
Avuru who was represented by Mr Chima Njoku, General Manager, Western Assets, Seplat, said the annual event was also to motivate, encourage and reward scholarship spirit in young minds.
“Seplat Pearls quiz is implemented in two stages, the test stage where all public and private secondary schools take qualifying tests.
“The competition stage where the qualified schools go head-to-head and losers are eliminated until a champion emerges for the year,” Avuru said.
Avuru thanked the Edo government for hosting the event in a conducive environment adding that Seplat remained committed to partnering Edo and Delta in continuing to build the capacity of their students.
He noted that the event was organised by Seplat Petroleum Development Company in partnership with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) as part of their corporate social responsibility to host communities of Edo and Delta.
Mrs Chioma Nwachuku, the External Affairs and Communication Manager, Seplat, said that 862 schools participated in the event adding that 523 of the number were from Edo while 339 were from Delta.
She said that since the inception of the pearls Quiz competition 63 students were awarded scholarships adding that four 16-seater Toyota Hiace buses were given to winning schools in the past.