Zamfara moves to hunt, nurture youths’ talents through annual intellectual competition

The Zamfara State Government has announced plans to sustain its Youth Intellectual Competition as an annual event and expand its reach to all 14 Local Government Areas and 147 wards of the state as part of efforts to identify, nurture and harness the intellectual and creative potential of young people.

The Coordinator of the Zamfara @30 Competition and Senior Special Assistant in the Office of the First Lady, Bilal AbdulRahman, disclosed this during the competition held in Gusau, the state capital.

AbdulRahman explained that the competition was organised by the Office of the First Lady, Huriyya Dauda Lawal, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, to complement conventional classroom learning and provide students with a platform to showcase their intellectual abilities.

He said the initiative was designed to promote critical thinking, creativity, analytical skills, public speaking and academic excellence, while creating opportunities to identify and develop exceptional talents among students.

According to him, the impressive performances and level of preparedness displayed by participants during the maiden edition had reinforced the organisers’ determination to institutionalise the programme as a regular annual event.

He disclosed that plans were underway to extend the competition to all 14 local government areas and 147 wards, thereby providing more students across the state with equal opportunities to participate and demonstrate their abilities.

The coordinator added that although the competition would initially hold annually, the organisers were considering the possibility of making it a twice-yearly event in response to the growing interest among students.

AbdulRahman revealed that the organisers received nearly 1,000 applications within one month of opening the online registration portal, with more than 150 applications submitted during the first week alone.

He noted that applicants were allowed to register individually rather than through their respective schools, a deliberate approach aimed at ensuring inclusiveness and giving every interested student an opportunity to participate, irrespective of their school.

However, he expressed regret that the maiden edition could not accommodate all the applicants, attributing this to the overwhelming response from young people across the state.

He said the high level of interest demonstrated the enormous intellectual capacity and enthusiasm of Zamfara youths, stressing the need to create more platforms through which their talents could be discovered and developed.

AbdulRahman further disclosed that some participants used poetry and other creative presentations to address negative perceptions of Zamfara arising from insecurity, while expressing their aspirations, hopes and determination for a peaceful and prosperous future.

He maintained that the competition would go beyond academic engagement to serve as a platform for empowering young people, encouraging positive expression and showcasing the talents and creativity that abound in Zamfara State.