Maths has life’s secrets, says pupil

Mathematics is very important to man because it is the foundation and the secret of development of man and society,” says David Olaiya, a contestant in the Season Five of the Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics Television Quiz Show sponsored by Cowbell Milk.

Olaiya, a pupil of Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said Mathematics helps people reason better.

“Analytical and reasoning skills are important because they help us solve problems and look for solutions. It contains the secrets of life and living which is very important in everyday life as it helps us to do the calculations easily and correctly”, he said.

Olaiya and Favour Williams of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja won the semifinal tickets from the preliminary Group E (senior category).

They beat Babakura Zanna of Elkanemi College, Maiduguri, Borno State; Paul Iginla from Divine Covenant Academy, Igbogene-Yenegoa, Bayelsa State; Goodness Olarewaju of the Incubators Secondary, Kaduna, Kaduna State and Rilwan Najib of the Caliphate International School, Sokoto, Sokoto State.

In the junior category, Michael Enechizma, a student of Scholars Universal Secondary, Ota, Ogun State and Yakubu Yunusa of Nigerian Tulip International College, Yobe State advanced to the semifinal.

Their counterparts who fell by the way side included Daniel Edeki from Gloryland Secondary School, Igarra, Edo State; Kaeto Ozioko of Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje-Awka, Anambra State and Musa Saadu, a student of International Secondary School, Atbu, Bauchi State.

The quiz, which will run for 13 weeks, is divided into nine preliminary stages and three semi-finals before the grand finale in November.

Aside the N2 million grand prizes, Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited Mr Anders Einarsson disclosed that the winner of each category, (junior and senior) would enjoy an all-expense paid educational excursion outside the country.

First and second runners-up in each category will receive N1.5 million and N1 million each, while the teachers of the top prize win