I targeted 370, says UTME best Ekene – TheNigerialawyer

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Ekene Franklin Ezeunala, who scored 347 to
emerge the overall best in the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME) targeted 370 out of a possible 400, it was
learnt yesterday.

The SS3 pupil of Meiran Community Secondary School, Meiran, on
the outskirts of Lagos, is, however, happy with his mark.

He said yesterday that he was shocked to be announced the
candidate with the highest score.

Ekene told The Nation: “I tried to make a good score while
preparing for the examination. The score I was targeting was 370. I
still feel happy that I still achieved a good result.”

The teenager, who will turn 15 May 27, said: “When I first heard
I was the highest, I was a bit shocked. But I became glad and
happy.”

He attributed his feat to regular participation in competitions
oragnised by of Lagos State government.

“The competitions impacted positively on my preparation. Some of
the subjects I did I had done them in preparing for the
competitions and met the same thing in the exams,” he said.

Ekene wants to study Chemical Engineering in the university –
for the love of it and to impact the society. He said he was
already working on some bio-fuel research to reduce carbon
emissions in Nigeria.

“I want to study Chemical Engineering because I feel that
chemistry and technology can impact the general public and society
in various ways; and personally, I have a flair for chemistry,” he
said.

His mother, Mrs. Chinelo Ezeunala, a Chemistry teacher at
Hightree College, a private school at Berger, Lagos, said she was
happy about her son’s feat.

The Chemistry graduate said her son had always shown brilliance
in his education and as a result skipped some classes in primary
school.

“He started school early at two years plus because I was serving
when I had him. He attended Philthel Primary School, Akoka. The
school was owned by a professor teaching at the University of
Lagos. But the woman is late now.

“In primary school he was very bright so he was promoted twice
that was why he is 14 years in SS3,” she said.

Mrs Ezeunala learnt of a scholarship offer by Gregory
University, Uturu, Abia State, from this reporter.

When asked if she would allow the boy to go, she said it would
be discussed as a family. She said the family was not buoyant
enough to afford private university fees if the offer was not a
full scholarship. She said her husband was a retired staff of the
defunct NITEL where he worked as a technician and had experienced
hard luck in his efforts at running businesses.

She said: “We are not really well off and we cannot afford
private university fees. If it is full scholarship, my opinion is
‘why not?’

The Uturu, Okigwe, Abia-based varsity, awarded scholarship to
Ekene and Emmanuel Chidiebube 16, who scored 346.

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