Mohammed Suleman Dunoma, from Borno, has emerged third position in the just concluded continental spelling competition in Kampala, Uganda.
The secondary-six Federal Government College (FGC) Maiduguri student, was one of the three students representing Nigeria at the senior category of the Spelling Bee Competition which held between October 18 and 20.
He won his way to the final stages to compete with participants from eleven countries after winning at state, regional and national levels of the competitions.
At first, representing his school, FGC, the Gwange – born teenager won the state competition, paving the way for him to participate at both regional and national levels, where he also won.
Organized by Spelling Bee Initiative, the competition was targeted at bringing out the best in young children.
Spelling Bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty.
These competitions are recognized as offering a range of benefits, from higher confidence to better vocabulary to young people.
Authorities in the school said that the teenager performs well in all school activities.
His teacher, whose permission we do not have to publish his name, said Dunoma is a ‘regular second position student’ in his class.
‘He is a good student, but he never emerged first in his class. He normally comes second position,’ the source told our correspondent.
He made to the final stage of the competition, but his impressive campaign was cut short after he failed to get the spelling of the deciding word, soupcon, correctly.
Dunoma had put every effort within the about 60 seconds he had, to try spelling the word correctly.
He asked the examiners several questions, including the definition and origin of the word, to get the right spelling.
He asked for alternative persons to pronounce the word in order for him to understand the spelling.
Ahmed Nadil, from Sudan, similarly failed his word, Roosevelt, alongside Dunoma at the fifth round, to emerge third both.
Francis Mwassa, from Zambia emerged first, and Miss Widad Mohammed, a Sudanese girl took the second position.
Another Nigerian, Grace Idowu Eniola, also emerged second position in the junior category, making Nigeria this year’s overall winner of the competition.
Dunoma, a first-time participant, is from FGC Maiduguri, one of the unity schools built 1975 by the federal government of Nigeria across the country.
It was part of the military government’s second national development plan, anchored by the regime of Murtala Ramat – Olusegun Obasanjo (1975 – 1979).
Borno, where Dunoma comes, has been notorious for being the home-ground for Boko Haram terrorists, who continue to say education is forbidden.
Between 2011 and 2014, Gwange ward, where he was also born and bred, was the stronghold of the group.
*Where Dunoma comes from: Gwange*
Borno, where Dunoma comes, has been notorious for being the home-ground for Boko Haram terrorists, who continue to say education is forbidden and condemn educated people as ‘infidels’.
Between 2011 and 2014, Gwange ward located at the heart of Maiduguri, where he was also born and bred, was the stronghold of the group.
When the movement—which first started as an ideological campaign against western education—began, it had many of its recruits from the area, understandably because it is the most populous part of Maiduguri. Dunoma, 16 now, was just a year old then.
In 2012, when it turned violent and necessitated drastic military involvement, the whole community, with a population roughly of a hundred thousand, was deserted because of the heat of the attacks.
The 2012 attack was following the killing of a soldier by members of the terrorist group.
The soldier was killed because he was also wooing the girlfriend of one of them.
In retaliation, soldiers launched a scorched earth attack on the community, setting many houses and shops ablaze.
The community was believed to be harboring several members of the group.
The soldiers, including authorities, accuse local community leaders and parents of harboring the group members.
However, a year later, it was in the same area that a spontaneous movement against the group emerged—the Civilian JTF—deriving membership from youths, to drive the terrorists out of Maiduguri.
Dunoma was born and bred in the area.
