Nigeria’s six global tech champions get first ‘official lift’

The dreams of Nigeria’s world technovation girls have been given a nudge as their home state government yesterday offered support for their education, up to university level.

The six girls of the Regina Pacies (Catholic) Secondary School, Onitsha — Jessica Osita, Promise Nnalue, Nwabuaku Ossai, Adaeze Onuigbo, Vivian Okoye and Igboke Oluebube Miracle — who shocked the world at the World Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley United States were accorded recognition by their home state government.

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State offered scholarships to the girls “for doing the state and the country proud at the world stage.” They also received monetary gifts of one million naira each.

Director of the school and the teenagers’ mentor, Reverend Father Vincent Ezeaka and Mrs. Uchenna Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu, who led them to the finals of the competition got two million naira each.

Although the details of the scholarship were not disclosed, The Guardian reliably gathered that the state government is willing to offset their tuition fees, accommodation, feeding and other necessities until the completion of their first degree programmes.

The award was part of a reception held at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia to mark the 27th Anniversary of the State.

Parents and teachers of the students, federal and state lawmakers as well as state government functionaries attended the event.

The six students had developed an application called the FD-Detector capable of detecting fake drugs in Nigeria.

Their entry had dwarfed more than 2000 others to reach the global finals in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, United States, where they defeated other finalists like the U.S., China, Korea, Turkey, Spain, among others to clinch the gold medal.

The Guardian had Monday reported plans by the Anambra State Government to host the global tech champions in Awka, the state capital, just as one of the students, Jessica Osita, called for concerted efforts at actualising the FD-Detector App.

Speaking on behalf of her other colleagues in a telephone conversation with The Guardian, Jessica had listed the professional dreams of her other colleagues thus: “Promise Nnalue wants to become a surgeon and medical doctor; Adaeze Onuigbo wants to be an economist; while Okoye Vivian would become a Computer Scientist.

Nwabuaku Ossai plans to become a Pediatrician; Miracle Igboke wants to be a medical doctor and motivational speaker”

Jessica, who said he would own the biggest pharmacy in the world, can now heave a sigh of relief as the journey to actualizing her dream begins.