Telecommunications giant MTN Nigeria has gifted a digital upgrade to St Lawrence Metropolitan College, Ado Ekiti, the school of 14-year-old Oreoluwa Alayande, winner of the 2025 mPulse Spelling Bee Competition.
Chinyere Ikechi, MTN Sales and Trade Development Manager for Ekiti, said the initiative was not only to celebrate Oreoluwa’s achievement but also to invest in the school that nurtured such talent.
Alayande, a second-year senior secondary student, defeated thousands of participants nationwide to win the competition. During a ceremony in Ado Ekiti attended by family, school staff, and government officials, MTN handed over a ₦10 million intervention package to the school.
The upgrade included 10 fully installed air conditioners for the computer lab, a 30kW lithium inverter system, 10 laptops, 10 broadband devices, and other educational resources. Oreoluwa also received a ₦5 million educational grant to fund her secondary and tertiary studies.
Ikechi revealed that Oreoluwa would also assume the role of “MTN CEO for a Day” and serve as the Face of mPulse for the next year. The student’s coach, Gbenga Julius, was awarded ₦500,000 in recognition of his mentorship.
“We are here because St Lawrence Metropolitan College has made history,” Ikechi said. “Oreoluwa represented not just her school but all of Ekiti State with distinction, confidence, and intelligence. Our commitment is to celebrate her and invest in the institution that helped shape her success.”
Oreoluwa expressed gratitude to MTN for providing a platform that enhances vocabulary, confidence, and a love of learning. “Winning this scholarship is not just a personal achievement; it’s a proud moment for our entire school,” she said, praising her school and coach for their guidance and discipline.
The school proprietor, Lawrence Oluwafemi, thanked MTN for the investment and announced a full scholarship for Oreoluwa’s studies at the school. He added that the new inverter and ICT tools would transform teaching, enabling learning beyond textbooks through digital applications.
Oreoluwa’s mother, Mrs Justinah Alayande, hailed MTN for shaping the future of young Nigerians, while her schoolmate, Goodness Ewenike, who also reached the grand finale, praised the competition for giving students a platform to showcase their talents.
