- Seplat Energy Plc and its JV partner NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS) hosted the 2025 PEARLs Quiz grand finale in Imo.
- Over 314 schools competed, while Seplat also ran a STEAM competition that funded six innovative school projects with ₦250,000 each.
Seplat Energy Plc, in partnership with NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), organised the 2025 PEARLs Quiz competition in Imo State as part of its signature Corporate Social Investment programme.
At the grand finale in Owerri, the joint venture instilled values of confidence, sportsmanship, and fair play by encouraging students who lost to congratulate the winners. Stakeholders, government officials, educators, and community leaders applauded this approach.
Avana Model Secondary School, Owerri, won the first prize trophy and ₦5 million for school development. Each of its three student representatives received ₦100,000 scholarships, while the teacher received a laptop. Delight International School, Owerri, took second place with ₦3 million and ₦75,000 student scholarships, plus a teacher’s laptop. St. John Leonardi Model Secondary School placed third, winning ₦1 million and ₦50,000 scholarships for its representatives and a teacher’s laptop.
Chioma Afe, Seplat Energy’s Director of External Affairs and Social Performance, represented by Grace Amadi, thanked stakeholders and emphasised the quiz’s role in grooming globally competitive students. She explained that the initiative, which began over 12 years ago, helps young people transform classroom lessons into creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, represented by Commissioner for Education Prof. BTO Ikegwuoha, commended Seplat and pledged government support for future editions. He urged students to focus on lessons gained from participation rather than just winning.
Salihu Garba of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) praised Seplat for extending its culture of excellence to education. At the same time, Prince Dr Henry Okafor, Commissioner for Niger Delta Affairs & Intelligence, encouraged students to seize the opportunity.
Ibi-Ada Itotoi, Managing Director of Eastern Asset, Seplat Energy, represented by Emmanuel Otokhine, congratulated the 100 schools that advanced to later stages from a pool of 314 entries, and the four that reached the grand finale. He reminded students that participation itself made them winners.
In addition to the quiz, Seplat held a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) competition, rewarding six schools with ₦250,000 each for innovative projects such as an electronic vehicle, a telescope, an AI-based career management tool, an architectural model, an oil drilling machine, a fashion e-business portal, and a fuel filling station prototype.
Through initiatives like the PEARLs Quiz and STEAM competition, Seplat Energy Plc and NNPCL continue to invest in youth development and educational transformation, creating opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom.