Jeffrey Jelison Jiniyi of Faith Academy, Goshen, Abuja, has emerged winner of the National Brain Bee Competition organised by the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSN).
Jiniyi took first position in the competition, followed by Ogbu Munachi Immaculata of M.E.A High School, Enugu State, who came second, while Muhammad Hafiz Kalil of Dolphin Maria, Bauchi State, emerged third.
The winners were announced and presented with their awards during the NSN conference and fellowship ceremony held in Abuja.
The competition was designed to identify and encourage students with an interest in neuroscience, the scientific study of the brain and nervous system.
Explaining the process leading to the final results, the organisers said schools were selected from the six geopolitical zones of the country for the first stage of the competition.
The zones were North-Central, North-West, North-East, South-South, South-East and South-West.
According to the NSN President, Professor Angela Danborno, five schools were selected from each geopolitical zone, with the competition producing an overall winner from each region.
The overall best students from the six regions subsequently competed in the final stage to determine the national first, second and third positions.
“After the first round, in the different regions, we were able to get first, second, third, and so on. And then, we also selected them to write the finals, who will get the overall best, and present them with the award for the day,” the President explained.
She added that the final competition produced the overall winner, after which the top three contestants were presented with their awards.
The awards were presented with the assistance of the keynote speaker, Professor Mahmoud Bukar Maina, who was invited to perform the function.
The organisers applauded the keynote speaker for supporting the recognition of the young neuroscience enthusiasts.
Two professors inducted as NSN fellows
The society also honoured two academics with fellowship awards during the ceremony.
They are Professor Amabe Akpantah of the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Calabar, and Professor Samuel Asala of the Department of Human Anatomy, Margaret Lawrence University, Abuja.
The two academics were recognised as fellows of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria at the society’s fifth fellowship award ceremony.
The ceremony, held on September 8, 2026, at Candeleux Hotel and Suites, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, brought together the society’s members and invited guests to celebrate contributions to neuroscience and the development of the field in Nigeria.
The fellowship recognition placed the two academics among the fellows of the society, while the Brain Bee awards recognised outstanding students who emerged through the national competition.
Danborno said the dual recognition of established academics and emerging student talents highlights the society’s role in encouraging neuroscience education, research and professional development in Nigeria.
