ASABA – Seplat Energy Plc, operator of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company NPDC/Seplat Joint Venture (JV), on Wednesday in Asaba, Delta State concluded its 2021 Pearls Quiz competition amidst pump and celebration with Peniel Academy, Boji Boji Owa, Delta State emerging the winner.

At the Seplat Pearls Quiz, an education enhancement initiative, which is one of its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) programmes, two Edo State secondary schools Pioneer Education Centre and Igbinedion Education Centre both in Benin City also clinched the second and third positions respectively.

While Peniel Academy coasted home with the star prize of N7million, it also got a trophy and the three students that represented it got N100,000:00 each, Pioneer Education Centre took the second prize of N3million, a trophy and its three students got N75,000:00 each just as Igbinedion Education Centre got one million naira, a trophy and its three students got N50,000:00.

At the conclusion of the keenly contested quiz competition, all the 116 teachers that participated got a tablet(a communication device) each while the teachers of the last four schools that got to the finals were given a laptop each.

Worthy of note is that the participating students displayed good intellectual fireworks during the competition to the admiration of Edo and Delta States’ functionaries and management of Seplat Energy that witnessed the ceremony.
Goodwill messages from Delta State Government and NPDC were mixed with commendations for Seplat in which other corporate bodies were tasked to emulate Seplat’s initiatives in developing their host communities.

In her remarks, the Director of External Relations and Sustainability, Seplat Energy, Dr Chioma Nwachuku, represented by the Operations Base Manager, Mr Emmanuel Otokhine, explained that Seplat Pearls quiz is education initiative to boost education quality in the states where the oil and gas company operates.

She reiterated that the educational undertaking was also provide facilities in the schools in the states within areas of operations of Seplat.

While thanking the Governor of Delta state, Senator Dr Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa for his support, Dr Chioma also congratulated the winning schools and urged others to improve on their performances stressing that the pearls quiz is very transparent.

Also, the CSR Manager of Seplat Energy, Esther Icha disclosed that the oil company has introduced several new awards for participating schools including Best Behaved School and Most Promising School among others.

She pointed out that a schoolol in Edo State won this year’s “Best Behaved School” award because eight students of the this particular school cleared all the wastes from the venue of the qualifying stage of the competition on their own volition, adding that Seplat is also encouraging good behaviour among students.

Basking in their euphoria of winning prizes, students of Peniel Academy, Pioneer Education Centre and Igbinedion Education Centre expressed profound appreciation to Seplat Energy for the opportunity given to them to showcase their talents.

This year’s Pearls quiz also featured chronographic and cultural dance performances by students of different schools.