Seven years later, the scholarship award publicly promised to him at that high-profile event remains unredeemed, SaharaReporters has learnt.
When 16-year-old Tony Okeke emerged as the overall national winner of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) Annual National Science Quiz Competition in October 2018, he was celebrated as one of Nigeria’s brightest young scientific minds.
Seven years later, the scholarship award publicly promised to him at that high-profile event remains unredeemed, SaharaReporters has learnt.
This raised questions about accountability and the credibility of one of NNPC’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The grand finale of the competition, held on October 9, 2018, at the Amphitheatre of the NNPC Towers in Abuja, was attended by two former Heads of State — General Yakubu Gowon and General Abdulsalami Abubakar —as well as state governors, federal ministers, oil and gas industry leaders, and captains of industry.
The science quiz, regarded as NNPC’s most significant CSR programme, was designed to identify and nurture exceptional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talents across Nigeria.
That year’s competition involved 15,480 science students who competed from the local government level across Nigeria’s 774 council areas.
After multiple stages of elimination, 37 state champions, including one from the Federal Capital Territory, advanced to the zonal rounds. Eighteen finalists — three from each of the six geopolitical zones — eventually contested the national finals in Abuja.
Okeke, then a secondary school student, emerged as the overall winner, impressing judges with what NNPC described as “exceptional scientific reasoning and technical problem-solving skills.”
As part of the prize package, Okeke was presented with a trophy and awarded a ₦100,000 one-off grant as state champion, alongside a ₦300,000 annual scholarship to be paid throughout his tertiary education as the national winner. According to Okeke, none of these financial awards has ever been paid.
In September 2019, Okeke enrolled at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, for a five-year accelerated dual-degree programme leading to a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering.
Shortly after his enrolment, he formally wrote to the NNPC requesting the release of his scholarship funds.
In a response dated November 21, 2019, the corporation acknowledged his request and outlined the requirements to access the grant and scholarship.
These included a formal application letter, proof of admission into a tertiary institution, certificates of participation and award issued by NNPC, and verified bank details. Okeke promptly submitted all the requested documents.
Despite repeated follow-up letters and reminders between 2019 and 2022, Okeke said the corporation neither paid the scholarship nor provided any explanation for the delay.
In a letter dated September 2, 2021, addressed to the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, a copy SaharaReporters obtained, Okeke restated his status as the 2018 national champion and appealed for urgent action.
“Presently, I am a third-year student at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Kindly expedite action to enable me receive the stipend that is due to me as a national champion in the said competition,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, seven years after his victory, Okeke has still not received the ₦100,000 one-off grant or any instalment of the ₦300,000 annual scholarship, and NNPC has not publicly explained the failure to redeem the award.
Ironically, Okeke’s academic journey has mirrored the promise he showed during the 2018 competition. In 2024, he graduated summa cum laude, earning a perfect 4.00 GPA in his B.Sc. degree in Neuro-engineering and a 3.99 GPA in his M.Sc. in Bioinformatics on the U.S. 4.00 grading scale.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, on Saturday, Okeke’s father, Mr. Emeka Okeke, a lawyer and estate developer, expressed disappointment at NNPC’s handling of the matter.
“I wonder how and why the outcome of such a high-profile national science quiz ecosystem, respected for identifying top STEM talent across the country, was treated with such disregard,” he said.
According to him, “The promised ₦300,000 annual scholarship was symbolic at best. It could not have funded a U.S. education, but it represented recognition and encouragement of his talent.”
He added that NNPC’s failure to honour its commitment undermines the integrity of the competition and discourages young Nigerians from pursuing STEM careers. “NNPC has to restore credibility to a programme that once inspired thousands of young people. What happened to my son is symptomatic of the wider malaise in public institutions,” he said.
Despite the setback, Tony Okeke, his father said has continued to excel.
He has received multiple academic and professional awards in the United States and has contributed to health technology startups and engineering projects focused on medical logistics, military support systems, and AI-driven process optimisation.