By Our Reporter
In Nigeria, the beat of drums, waves of jubilant cheers, and the display of national pride are familiar scenes whenever athletes return home with medals from international competitions.
From football tournaments to athletics championships, sportsmen and women are often celebrated as national heroes, with some receiving presidential receptions, cash rewards, and national honours.
While such recognition is laudable, many are of the view that the same level of celebration should be extended to Nigerians who excel in academics, individuals whose intellectual brilliance in science, technology, innovation, literature and other fields has also brought global acclaim to the nation.
Speaking with our correspondent, Engineer Olatunde Samuel, an alumnus of Saint JJoseph’s College, Ondo, said honouring academic champions could inspire young people to value scholarship as highly as athletic skill.
“Nigerian students have, in recent years, won global competitions in mathematics, robotics, debate, and engineering design. Yet many of these achievements pass quietly, without fanfare or reward. When a Nigerian wins gold in sports, the entire country celebrates. But when a Nigerian student tops an international science fair, it’s often mentioned briefly in the news and then forgotten. That sends the wrong message to our youths about what our society values most,” he said.
One such achievement, he noted, is that of Samuel Opeyemi Akinpelumi, a student of Saint Joseph’s College, Ondo, who represented Nigeria at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in France.
Competing against students from more than 84 countries, Akinpelumi emerged among the top three globally, an accomplishment described by Dr. Marko of Thales, a global technology leader, as “extraordinary” and worthy of encouragement.
Akinpelumi returned to Ondo State with an international prize and a prestigious one-year mentorship with Thales.
Despite this, his achievement has received little or no official recognition from state or federal authorities.
“This young genius has not only made Ondo State proud globally but has also written the Sunshine State’s name in gold worldwide. His excellence is not by chance; he has a history of exceptional performance,” Dr. Marko said.
That history includes:
Winner of the 2023 Ekimogun Youth Connect Mathematics Competition and Scholarship Awards.
Third place at the National Mathematical Olympiad, earning a Certificate of Merit.
Best Student in English Award sponsored by Saint Joseph College Old Boys, 1993 Set.
Overall best student at the 2024 National Olympiad Competition, leading to his appointment as Prep Ambassador by the Daramola Adeosun Foundation.
High-ranking performance at the Simbiat Adeyeye Quiz Competition.
Akinpelumi’s case is not unique. In 2023, a team of Nigerian secondary school students won the International Robotics Competition in Geneva, Switzerland, with an innovative automated irrigation system.
While the feat drew global praise, local recognition was far less pronounced compared to the reception often given to sporting champions.
Education stakeholders believe that creating a culture which celebrates academic excellence will encourage more young people to pursue achievements in research, innovation, and knowledge creation areas vital to addressing pressing challenges in healthcare, energy, and technology.
They are urging government bodies, private corporations, and the media to offer academic achievers equal visibility and incentives, including national awards, scholarships, and public recognition ceremonies.
“Sports will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Samuel said, “but the mind is also a powerful tool for nation-building. It’s time to celebrate our thinkers the same way we celebrate our athletes.”
As Nigeria continues to produce talents in both sports and academics, advocates say expanding the celebration of excellence beyond athletics will help build a more balanced and forward-looking society, one in which both the body and the mind are equally honoured.
