No Funds: FG Declines Sponsorship for 15-year-old Who Aced SAT, Qualified for Maths Olympiad
Fifteen-year-old Agbo Adoga, a student of Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, achieved what only a few in the world can boast of: a perfect SAT score and a qualification to represent Nigeria at the International Mathematics Olympiad in China. Yet, this remarkable milestone has been met with silence and inaction.
According to education advocate Alex Onyia, the school revealed that the Federal Ministry of Education declined to sponsor Agbo’s participation, citing a lack of funds. This means that one of Nigeria’s brightest young minds, a child whose brilliance could have shone on the global stage, will now stay home, not because of failure or lack of merit, but because of bureaucratic neglect.
Onyia expressed deep frustration, calling the decision a missed opportunity for Nigeria to showcase its intellectual strength before the world.
He added that even though Agbo’s parents were ready to bear the cost, they were barred from doing so, as the competition rules require sponsorship to come solely through the Federal Ministry of Education since the student would be officially representing Nigeria.
His words captured the nation’s disappointment: “Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, just informed me that Agbo Adoga qualified to represent Nigeria in the International Maths Olympiad in China. The Nigerian Ministry of Education said they don’t have money to sponsor anybody. So he will not attend. Nigeria lost again!”
When asked if private individuals could step in, Onyia replied: “Unfortunately, it must come from the Federal Ministry of Education. He will be flying the Nigerian flag at the global stage alongside students from all other countries in the world. Individual sponsorship is not allowed. The parents would have happily done that.”
This situation raises a serious question about the protection and promotion of children’s rights in Nigeria, particularly the right to education and development as guaranteed by the Child’s Rights Act (2003) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which affirm that every child has the right to education and to opportunities that nurture their talents to the fullest.
Denying Agbo the chance to compete, after he earned it through merit, is more than a missed opportunity; it is a quiet violation of a child’s right to realize his potential.
Nigeria cannot continue to silence its brilliance in the name of “no funds.” Children like Agbo Adoga deserve not only applause but support, because when a child’s potential is ignored, an entire nation’s future dims.
