Today, Monday 19th May, we continued our exciting journey through the 2025 preliminaries of the Friends of Ronzls Foundation Annual Quiz and Spelling Bee Competition 5.0, proudly tagged the Remo Ultimate Intellectual Showdown. This marks the fifth edition of our beloved academic competition, and once again, it has been inspiring to witness the energy, talent, and intelligence of the participating pupils.

Day 2 focused on the Makun zone, and the competition was held at Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Makun. The competition was divided into two parts. The first was the quiz section, a paper-and-pencil test that covered core subjects including Mathematics, English Language, Science, General Knowledge, and ICT. The second part was the Spelling Bee, where contestants were asked to spell a variety of words in front of their peers and judges — a true test of their confidence, vocabulary, and stage presence.

We were delighted to welcome 14 schools from the Makun zone to today’s event. These included:

• Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Makun

• Local Government Primary School, Makun

• Local Government School, Ewu Osi

• Local Government Primary School, Irasusi

• O.G.D. Primary School, Ewu-Oliwo

• School for Special Needs, Makun

• Sokoya Memorial Primary School, Makun

• St. Paul Primary School, Ayetoro

• St. Paul’s Anglican Primary Schools I, II & III, Makun

• St. Paul’s Anglican School, Oke Ate

• Wesley Primary School, Ojumele

• Zumuratul Islamiyah Primary School, Ojumele

It was a joy to see the pupils engage with enthusiasm and determination. The energy in the room was contagious, and the level of preparation from both students and teachers was evident in every round. Each participant gave their best, and we are proud of the effort shown by every school. Six contestants achieved a perfect score of 50 points in the Spelling Bee, correctly spelling all the words given to them across all five rounds.

At the end of the day, two contestants stood out for their outstanding performance and have earned their place in the Grand Finale. Please join us in celebrating Bankole Ruth from Local Government Primary School, Makun and Ademodupe Ponmile from Wesley Primary School, Ojumele. These brilliant young minds displayed a high level of academic prowess and composure under pressure. We are incredibly proud of them and excited to see how they perform in the final round.

As we continue with the preliminaries across different zones, we are reminded of why we began this journey — to promote academic excellence, boost self-confidence, and nurture future leaders in our communities. We’re grateful to all participating schools, teachers, and supporters who are helping us bring this vision to life.