By Prince Osuagwu

A 13 year student of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Miss Hadiza Adeleke has emerged the only Nigerian representative at this year’s worldwide competition on Microsoft Office for secondary students, in Las Vegas, USA. The competition runs from July 29 to August 1, 2012.

Top IT training institution in the country, New Horizons Computer Systems Limited has promised to bankroll the trip.  Adeleke came tops in the final examination involving 22 students from several schools conducted online, real-time by Certiport on behalf of Microsoft Corporation.

She emerged winner with 967 /1000 points to become Microsoft Office Specialist. The competition tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

New Horizons School Business Manager, Mr. Dayo Talabi, said that 300 students participated in the entire Nigerian edition and students with the highest exam scores and lowest exam-taking times are invited to represent their respective countries at the world championships.

This year, Certiport added a new component to the global competition on Microsoft Office. Each Word 2010 and Excel 2010 contestant was required to take the standard MOS exam, and was also asked to recreate an existing Word 2010 Document or Excel 2010 Workbook from a provided, printed example.

According to Talabi the 2011 competition which held in San Diego, USA had Miss Chidera Nwadike from Nigeria who emerged fourth globally out of 288,000 participants. He noted that participation in the competition among secondary schools in Nigeria has tripled since New Horizons introduced the Microsoft courses and competition to schools.

He said that the company has already recorded about 75 secondary schools and was determined to have a Nigerian emerge the first Microsoft world champion.

“We want to produce the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, Youngest Adobe Certified Associate and Youngest EC-Council Security 5 Professional.  We are determined to make technology available to students in Nigeria and make parents embrace standard IT education for their wards” he added.

Meanwhile little Adeleke was full of confidence that she would come out in flying colours in US, adding that all Nigerians should join hands in prayers for her to make the country proud

The little girl said “I want all Nigerians to join me and my parents in prayers pray for me. I know that my victory in the USA would be Nigeria’s victory as well.