The UTME, organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) serves as the national prerequisite for Senior Secondary School candidates to gain admission to higher institutions for advanced studies within Nigeria.

Interestingly, out of over 1.7 million students who wrote the 2022 examination, three Interswitch SPAK alumni emerged among the top 10 candidates nationwide. 

Adebayo Eyimofe, a semi-finalist in the third edition of the InterswitchSPAK competition and a student of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, had the highest national score of 362 out of 400 in the UTME.

Two other top InterswitchSPAK 3.0 contestants, Ayo Olumide-Attah of St. Francis Catholic Secondary School, Lagos emerged 6th with a total score of 355 and Jubril Dokun of Brainfield College, winner of the 3^rd edition of the Interswitch SPAK competition emerged 8th with a score of 354.

The InterswitchSPAK competition, a CSR initiative by Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce company, Interswitch, kicked off in 2018 to discover some of the brightest young minds in Africa and to help develop and optimize their talents.

Since inception, InterswitchSPAK has focused on igniting, rewarding, and empowering young African students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), serving as a platform of support for young minds who are poised to bring change to the continent.

Each year, N12.5 million worth of scholarships is given out to the top three winners in the competition.

The InterswitchSPAK platform by Interswitch continues to push the boundaries in its quest for excellence, providing an enabling community for brilliant minds to grow and reach their full potential, utilizing the power of STEM to create homegrown solutions in Africa.

Currently, in its fourth edition, InterswitchSPAK continues to seek out the best science students while also driving an interest in STEM subjects to facilitate socio-economic transformation of the African continent.

Now in its third edition, the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition is an Interswitch Group Switch-a-Future initiative focused on driving increased interest in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects among senior secondary school students.

The competition, which is targeted at SS2 (Year 11) students between the ages of 14 and 17 years was introduced to reward excellence in STEM among students in Africa.

At the start of the competition, over 18,000 students from various secondary schools across Nigeria participated in the national qualifying examination. Following various levels of the keenly contested competition, this large number has been pruned down to nine finalists who will be contesting for the bragging rights as the ‘Best Science Student in Nigeria’.

The student who claims InterswitchSPAK 3.0 title will be rewarded with a N7.5 million scholarship spread over 5years, a monthly stipend for the duration of the scholarship and a brand-new laptop.

The second-place winner will receive N4 million worth of scholarships spread over 3 years, a monthly stipend, and a brand-new laptop, while the third-place winner will be rewarded with a N1 million scholarship for one year and a brand-new laptop.

Speaking on the finals, Tomijogun Ogunlesi, Group Head, Brands, Communication, Content and CSR for Interswitch stated: “Over the years, InterswitchSPAK has continued to be a flagship platform for Nigeria’s next generation of leaders especially in the world of science and technology. Each edition, the finals have been the highpoint of the keen competition as some of Nigeria’s finest students battle for the exciting prizes. This year’s finale promises to be as exciting as usual. The finale is a must watch for every Nigerian that is passionate about education, technology and development.”

Ahead of the grand finale on February 6, InterswitchSPAK 3.0 TV Show continues to air, and can be viewed on DSTV Africa Magic Family Channel 154 and GOTV channel 2, every Saturday by 6:30 pm, and at 3.30pm on Sundays on the AIT Network.