Three teenage students from St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado Ekiti, have clinched top honours for academic excellence at the 2026 Ekiti Future Agenda Awards, held on Thursday at Adetiloye Hall.

Oreoluwa Alayande, Damilola Adeolu and Goodness Ewenike received the awards after a year of standout performances in national spelling competitions that placed Ekiti on the academic map.

Three Ekiti Students Win Big at 2026 Future Agenda Awards

The event drew educators, policymakers and community leaders who gathered to celebrate young achievers across the state. But it was the trio from one school that commanded attention.

Fourteen year old Oreoluwa shot into national prominence in 2025 when she emerged champion of the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee. Her victory came with a ₦5 million education grant, a one day experience as MTN Nigeria’s chief executive, a new laptop and smartphone, and a one year role as Face of mPulse.

Her triumph also delivered major rewards to her school, including ₦10 million, 10 laptops and 10 5G routers, while her teacher received ₦500,000 in cash support.

Thirteen year old Damilola followed with a strong showing at the Nigeria Spelling Bee in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where she placed second. She is now set to represent Nigeria and Ekiti State at the international finals in Zimbabwe.

Goodness, also 14, secured first place at the National Spell Africa competition in Lagos, completing what many at the ceremony described as a rare academic streak from a single institution.

All three students achieved these milestones while in SS2, balancing routine schoolwork with high pressure national contests.

The awards were presented by Amb. Prince Micheal Ogungbemi, Chairman of Ajoni LCDA, who praised the students for projecting Ekiti beyond its borders through intellect and discipline.

Three Ekiti Students Win Big at 2026 Future Agenda Awards

For St. Lawrence Metropolitan College, the recognition signals more than trophies. It reinforces a growing reputation for grooming students who compete and win on national stages.

For Ekiti, it offers a sharper narrative, one driven not by politics or rhetoric, but by young minds spelling their way into history.

Three Ekiti Students Win Big at 2026 Future Agenda Awards

Venite University, Iloro-Ekiti, has appointed Professor Charity Aremu as its new Vice-Chancellor after a competitive selection process that drew 25 candidates, positioning the institution for a sharper research and industry-driven future.

The Governing Council confirmed her appointment after a series of interviews and assessments that insiders described as rigorous. Her emergence marks a decisive leadership choice for a university still defining its national footprint.

Professor Aremu, a crop improvement and sustainable agriculture scholar, arrives from Landmark University, where she served as Vice-Chancellor. Under her watch, the institution secured global visibility in the Times Higher Education rankings, a milestone that strengthened its research profile beyond Nigeria.

Her academic record runs deep. She studied Agricultural Biology at University of Ibadan, graduating in 1992 as best student and earning both the Royal Dutch Shell BP Award and the Raymond Zard scholarship. She later obtained her MSc and PhD in Agricultural Biology and Plant Breeding from the same university and the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Before her move to Landmark in 2015, she spent nearly two decades at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, rising from Assistant Lecturer to Professor in 2011. Across both institutions, she led departments, headed colleges, chaired senate sessions, and directed strategic planning and quality assurance committees. She also steered postgraduate education and later supervised agripreneurship development initiatives.

Her national footprint stretches to the National Universities Commission, where she contributed to the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards and served on accreditation panels. She has examined theses for universities across Nigeria and South Africa, including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ilorin and North-West University.

In research metrics, Professor Aremu has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. Her Google Scholar citations exceed 2,000, with an h-index above 15 on Scopus. Scival lists her among Nigeria’s top 500 researchers in 2026. She secured grants from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa for drought-resistant maize and co-led the Cassava Adding Value for Africa II project. She also presented technical findings on African Cassava Mosaic Virus research in Addis Ababa.

At Venite, she takes charge of a university that brands itself as a training ground for self-reliant graduates. In early policy outlines shared with stakeholders, she signalled plans to tighten links between academia and industry, push certified skill acquisition alongside degrees, expand tech innovation hubs, and align programmes with global accreditation benchmarks and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

She also pledged to strengthen research funding culture, widen international partnerships and build a more accountable financial structure.

Her appointment makes her Venite University’s second substantive Vice-Chancellor. For a relatively young institution in Ekiti State, the choice signals intent. The university has opted for a research-driven administrator with a record of climbing rankings, attracting grants and enforcing academic standards.

Now, the expectation shifts from promise to delivery.

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment, declaring that effective implementation of the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up, NFWP-SU, in Ekiti is non-negotiable.

The governor’s position came as senior officials gathered for a three-day team-bonding workshop aimed at tightening coordination among those driving the programme across the state. The government says it is backing the initiative as a practical tool to lift household incomes and deepen grassroots development.

Oyebanji NFWP-SU implementation in Ekiti

Speaking at the opening session, the Chairman of the State Multi-Sectoral Coordinating Structure and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Oyeniyi Adebayo, said Mr Oyebanji views the NFWP-SU as central to his administration’s inclusive growth agenda. He told participants that the scale-up phase demands discipline, professionalism and measurable outcomes.

“This programme must translate into visible impact in our communities,” he said, urging officials to focus on delivery rather than bureaucracy.

The NFWP-SU builds on the Nigeria for Women Programme, a World Bank-supported initiative designed to strengthen women’s access to financial, social and livelihood opportunities through Women Affinity Groups. Ekiti officials say the state intends to use the platform to drive economic independence among rural women.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Olapeju Babafemi, described the scheme as a direct intervention targeted at grassroots households. She warned that resources must reach intended beneficiaries and called for strict transparency in fund management.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sola Adeluyi, reinforced that message, stressing adherence to operational guidelines and institutional synergy to secure long-term sustainability.

Ekiti State Project Coordinator, Toyin Familoni, said the workshop focuses on strengthening unity and coordinated service delivery among field teams. According to her, improved collaboration will reduce duplication and speed up impact tracking across local government areas.

The event also drew a delegation from Ogun State, led by its Project Coordinator, Bolanle Fadairo, who shared lessons from implementation efforts there. Officials described the exchange as an opportunity to refine strategies and avoid common pitfalls.

For the Oyebanji administration, the emphasis remains clear. Women’s economic empowerment sits at the heart of its development blueprint. The governor’s team now faces the harder task, turning policy commitments into tangible gains for women at the household level across Ekiti’s communities.