Nigerian pupil Oluwademilade Odumuboni makes history, wins global Toyota art contest grand prize – Newstrends
Connect with us

Education

Nigerian pupil Oluwademilade Odumuboni makes history, wins global Toyota art contest grand prize

Published

2 years ago

on

Nigerian pupil Oluwademilade Odumuboni makes history, wins global Toyota art contest grand prize

A Nigerian schoolchild, Oluwademilade Odumuboni, has emerged a global grand prize winner of the 2022/23 edition of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest.

The 10-year-old boy, a pupil of Corona School, Gbagada Lagos, competed and won the coveted prize at the 16th edition after beating 782,852 other contestants from 90 countries.

He went beyond and above the 18 Global Best Finalists to win the Global Grand Prize, according to Toyota.

The event is organised annually by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Japan for schoolchildren all over the world, challenging them to draw their dream cars with inspirational idea.

Master Odumuboni’s drawing, a waste converter, with the concept of helping countries, especially African communities, in food production and ensuring clean environment, was adjudged the best globally.

He was on Saturday September 2 celebrated and presented with the prize money of $5,000, a trophy, and a certificate at a special ceremony organised by Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) in Lagos on behalf of the TMC of Japan.

His school, Corona, was also given $10,000 prize money.

The prize money awarded to Demilade and to the School is meant strictly for educational purposes.

His Art teacher, Mr Ojeagbega Oserogho, received a laptop for helping the gifted boy to excel.

Managing Director, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo, said at the Saturday ceremony, “We are very excited and elated. Indeed, we are very proud of the feat that Demilade achieved by also placing Toyota (Nigeria) Limited in the forefront of distributors globally.”

He said the Nigerian star boy “dared to dream and his unique idea and dream, today has placed him and Nigeria on the global map of one of the largest Global Art Contests for children.

“His unique and truly inspirational idea expressed in an equally creative drawing earned him a global grand prize in the contest beating over 782,852 contestants from 90 countries/regions.”

Ade-Ojo recalled that while the parent company, TMC of Japan, initiated the contest in 2004, Toyota Nigeria keyed into it four years later as a corporate social responsibility initiative to help children express their imagination of a future car through drawing.

With Oluwademilade’s victory on the global stage, the TNL MD declared that his company felt fulfilled with its efforts of 15 years finally crowned.

“Apart from the shield and prize money from Toyota Motor Corporation that Demilade will be going home with, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited will also present a certificate and trophy to him,” he added.

The contest, he said, was also meant to drive the children to imagine a peaceful world full of smiles and to promote a friendly society.

“This way, Toyota is also cultivating a lifetime friendship with all these children while encouraging them to care for our planet and push their imagination beyond limits,” he stated.

Giving some details about the competition, Ade-Ojo said annually, like other participating countries, three winners are picked in Nigeria from each age category: Category 1 (children not older than seven years); Category 2 (8-11 years); and Category 3 (12-15 years old), making nine winners.

The shortlisted nine national winners and their drawings are sent to Japan to compete with other drawings received from all over the world.

“Our Demilade is one of these three grand prize winners globally. He has been awarded 5,000 USD and his school, Corona School, Gbagada, has been awarded 10,000 USD.”

The ceremony was attended by parents of the star prize winner, family members, selected pupils from the school and their teachers led by the Head Teacher, Henrietta Eguagie.

Also in attendance were the three judges that shortlisted the drawing in Nigeria for the world competition.

Eguagie commended Oluwadamilade for his remarkable achievement that had brought glory to the school.

She also hailed Toyota for the initiative of inspiring young people to unleash their creative expression and artistic potential.

“As one of Nigeria’s leading educational institutions, we are dedicated to utilising this prize money in a manner that directly benefits the learning experiences and development of our students.”

Specifically, Eguagie listed areas they plan to invest the money as Toyota Dream Car Endowment Fund, Oluwademilade grant for art, establishment of art gallery and exhibition, digital art studio, art and tech competition, among others.

The star boy, in his response expressed gratitude to the TNL and the TMC of Japan for the opportunity to express himself through art; as well as his school, art teachers, parents for their encouragement.

“I appreciate Toyota for this award and for believing in a little child like me..I’m also grateful for the big award shield; I’ll surely display it in my room and admire it every day when I wake up in the morning. This experience has taught me that hard work pays and that we should never give up.”

 

Related Topics:
Advertisement

Education

JAMB arrests 40 impersonators during UTME

Published

11 hours ago

on

April 27, 2025

By

JAMB arrests 40 impersonators during UTME

Over 40 persons have been arrested and are facing prosecution for impersonating candidates during the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed.

This comes as many parents and guardians express concern that the 6.30 a.m. resumption time for the exam was too early for candidates, adding that many may have to drive several miles to their examination sites.

The 2025 UTME, which began on Thursday, April 24, will run until Monday, May 5.

According to JAMB, over 2,030,627 students are taking this year’s exam at authorised computer-based test centres across the nation.

A mother of a candidate who claimed to live in Awoyaya, Lekki, Lagos, but whose 14-year-old son was assigned to a centre in Ikorodu, stated that the young guy may miss the exam due to time constraints.

“The examination slip states that candidates are expected at the centre by 6.30am. So, that means my son must be on the road by 4 am. I don’t drive. We don’t have a car. He would have to take a bus. Even if I decide to go with him, how are we supposed to get a bus at that time, and how are we supposed to get to Ikorodu before 6.30am?

“This is wickedness. JAMB should look into this and move the exam forward. 6.30am for an examination is too early.”

Olaoluwa Yinka, a guardian, lamenting on X, wrote, “My younger sister has just travelled today for her UTME tomorrow morning. From Abeokuta, she was sent to Ijebu Igbo by 6.30am. This is very absurd.

“When I wrote JAMB, I did so around 9 am and the heavens did not fall. This CBT is the problem. Students get to the centre, and sometimes the systems don’t work as well.”

READ ALSO:

Social media activist, Rinu Oduala, in a statement on X, wrote, “Again, why are you scheduling exams for 6.30am, @JAMBHQ? And expect teenagers to find their ways 50km plus away from home? How can educated people make nonsensical policies for citizens and kids in this country? Does it make any sense?”

A mother, Nnem Chacha-Gold, told this reporter on Saturday that her only daughter had to leave the house at 4.30 a.m. to travel to her exam venue by 6.30 a.m.

“I had to follow my daughter to her centre in Ikorodu from Ejigbo. When I got there, they said we (parents) were not welcome at the centre. I even learnt that candidates slept outside their centres to meet up. I can’t imagine my own child sleeping on the street overnight just to meet up. Goodness!”

Meanwhile, Esther Oladele, a young female candidate aged 16, was claimed to have lost her way to her centre.

Richard, claiming to be her brother, stated that she travelled from Ajah to Epe on Thursday, April 24, but mistakenly boarded the wrong bus.

The post read, “It’s been almost 24 hours since we haven’t heard from my sister. She was going to Epe from Ajah around 1 pm yesterday (Thursday) for her UTME. The last message she sent to us reads thus: ‘I’m scared. I think I entered the wrong car, and my eyes are itchy. E be like say I want to sleep.”

READ ALSO:

This spurred numerous X users to initiate a search online, notifying the authorities to look for the young lady.

After nearly 48 hours, Richard returned to X to confirm that Esther had been discovered in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

Esther’s picture leaked online, showing her in garish apparel and with messy hair.

The flier read, “We are overjoyed to share that Esther is home safe and sound! Words cannot express our gratitude to everyone who played a part in bringing her back. Your reposts, prayers, and unwavering support gave us strength and hope throughout this difficult time. We are eternally grateful for the kindness and compassion of our community.”

Despite the board’s efforts to sanitise the examination process, Benjamin expressed concern about impersonation.

He noted that while other countries have successfully conducted remote exams, Nigeria’s current context makes such an innovation impractical.

“If Nigerians want comfort, let us behave very well. If we are transparent, we can do these CBT exams at home and submit them online. We will just send questions to them, and they will answer and send them back to us. Then, we will grade and send them back the results,” Benjamin said.

“But, you know what will happen if we try to do that. Several countries are doing their central examinations from home. But, can we do that in Nigeria,” he added.

JAMB arrests 40 impersonators during UTME

Continue Reading

Education

Nigerian students abroad call out FG over unpaid allowances

Published

16 hours ago

on

April 27, 2025

By

Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health

Nigerian students abroad call out FG over unpaid allowances

Nigerian students studying under the Bilateral Education Agreement in foreign countries have decried the federal government’s non-payment of their allowances.

The students, who spoke under the auspices of the Union of Nigerian Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars, called on the Minister of Education, Dr Yusuf Tunji Alausa, to review the government’s stance on the payment of their stipends.

According to them, the Federal Government owed each of them $6,720 for the years 2023 and 2024, in addition to unpaid stipends from January to April 2025.

In a recent statement posted on X, the students accused the Ministry of Education of disseminating misleading information about their welfare.

They also rejected the ministry’s claims that all previous payments had been settled and asserted that the host countries were not adequately addressing their needs.

READ ALSO:

“The assertion that host countries provide full accommodation and monthly stipends is simply false in many countries. In Morocco, for example, there is no government-provided housing. In Algeria, students get only $70 every four months — that’s not a stipend,” the statement read.

However, the government, through the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, has assured the students and other stakeholders of its commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities.

While admitting that the recent fluctuations in the foreign exchange caused the shortfalls in fund disbursements, the ministry said all supplementary allowances for Nigerian scholars have been paid up to December 2024.

The ministry further disclosed that a formal request for additional funding to ensure full payment of all entitlements to affected students has been submitted.

 

Nigerian students abroad call out FG over unpaid allowances

Continue Reading

Education

JAMB delists four centres, arrests 27 impersonators in ongoing UTME

Published

2 days ago

on

April 26, 2025

By

JAMB delists four centres, arrests 27 impersonators in ongoing UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has delisted four Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Centres and arrested 27 impersonators during the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

This is contained in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja yesterday by the Board’s Spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin.

He explained that the CBT centres were delisted for failing to meet the stringent technical standards required for the ongoing UTME.

Benjamin said the delisted centres include Adventure Associate, located behind Sheshe Supermarket off Hadejia Road, Kano, Kano State, and Saadatu Rimi College of Education, Zaria Road, Naibawa, Kano, Kano State.

Also delisted are Penta M & F Technical Services Ltd., Centre 2, 96km Sokoto-Jega Road, Tambuwal, and Penta M & F Technical Services Ltd., Centre 1, 96km Sokoto-Jega Road, Tambuwal.

READ ALSO:

“While JAMB commends the 883 centres that have demonstrated exceptional performance, it unequivocally warns that any centre failing to meet ethical or technical standards, regardless of ownership, will be blacklisted,” he stated.

Benjamin urged candidates who were previously scheduled to take their exams at the delisted centres to urgently reprint their examination notification slips to access their new centres and rescheduled dates.

“We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but we will not tolerate excuses from candidates who fail to reprint their slips.

“As of Friday, April 25, 2025, more than 900,000 candidates had successfully completed the UTME, out of the 2,083,600 registered for the 2025 examination,” he added.

In a related development, Benjamin reported the arrest of 27 impersonators who were handed over to the Nigeria Police for immediate prosecution.

JAMB delists four centres, arrests 27 impersonators in ongoing UTME

Continue Reading

Trending