In 2017 I was awarded a gold medal at the national mathematics competition for university undergraduates, held at the National Mathematical Centre in Abuja. Competing as a 400-level undergraduate representing the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), I placed third overall among 126 contestants in the gold medal category. On the strength of that result I was named to the four-member national team selected to represent Nigeria at the international undergraduate mathematics competition held later that year in Poland. FUPRE finished eleventh in the institutional standings, an improvement on its position in the previous year.
The result followed a silver medal at the same competition in 2016, which I had contested a year early, at the 300 level, against candidates in their final year.
About the competition
The competition is an annual national contest in mathematics for university undergraduates in Nigeria, convened at the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) in Abuja. The Centre is the federal institution charged with advancing mathematical research and training in Nigeria, and the competition serves as its principal instrument for identifying and benchmarking undergraduate mathematical talent across the university system.
Candidates are nominated by their home institutions and sit a common written examination. Individual performance is recognized through graded medal categories (gold, silver, and bronze), with placements determined by rank within each category; the 2017 edition drew 126 contestants. Results are aggregated to produce an institutional ranking alongside the individual awards, so that departments as well as students are measured against a national standard.
The competition also functions as a national selection trial. The strongest performers are invited to form the small team that represents Nigeria at international undergraduate mathematics competitions, which in 2017 was a four-member delegation.
References
- “FUPRE student emerges 3rd runner in maths competition”, Vanguard, 4 May 2017.
- “FUPRE, others to represent Nigeria at global contest”, The Guardian (Nigeria).