The education Marathon event took place at the Aguiyi Ironsi Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja on Saturday, June 11th. The thematic purpose of the event as curated, was to close the gap between public and private schools, address the issue of teachers’ welfare, as well as to discover talents within the schools. All these were sought to be achieved through the well-laid sports competitions, and official admonitions vis-a-vis the connotative speeches of the Invited guests.

Esteemed guests were present to commemorate the event as well as promote it. These guests included dignitaries, policymakers in the educational space, international educational bodies, and global and international sports personnel. Special guests of honor that attended were Justice Amina Adamu-Augie CON-Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Chairman of Illmi Children’s Fund Board of Trustees, and the representatives Sadiya Umar Farouq- Nigerian Minister of HumanitarianAffairs and the Minister for Finance. A special performance of poetry rendition was made by Alhan Islam. 

One of the highlights of the event was the arrival of Ahmed Musa MON- International footballer and the team  Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who arrived at a mountain of cheers from the children and admonition from all participants. Other Dignitaries that added color to the event include Ms. Aisha Augie, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance, Ms. Ulla E Mueller- Resident Representative UNFPA in Nigeria, Hon. Kabiru Tunkura, a member of the House of Representatives, Hajiya Maryam Uwais MFR-Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Dr. Kole Shettima- Director Mac-Arthur Foundation in Nigeria, Mr. Charles Usie-Country Director of Plan International, Mr. Sani Dantijo- International Development expert, Aisha Garba Muhammed- Senior education specialist at the World Bank Group, Faiz Bashir- Managing Director FlexiSAF Edusoft, Abdullahi Sale-the National Coordinator CSACEFA.Other Guests present were Amina Wali Shafeeq- CEO of Laboubou Chateau Group, Samir Abubakar-Chief Information officer at FlexiSAF Edusoft, Aisha Shuaibu- President of SWA Sports, Dr. Thelma Adaku-Public health physician, Director Hospital Management Zenith Medical and Kidney Center and Abdulmalik Mahdi- Managing partner of Modern Shelter Systems and Services.

There were a total of 17 schools in attendance, 9 Public schools including the Acclearn Kids from FlexiSAF Foundation, and 8 Private schools. The Public schools in attendance were LEA Wuje, LEA Gwarinpa, LEA Kubwa, LEA Karmajiji, LEA Kado, Model Primary School Maitama, LEA Wuse Zone 1, and LEA Wuse Zone 2. The private schools in attendance were-The Regents Schools, Sunrise International School, Funtaj International, Great Heights Academy, Prime Scholars Academy, Esteem International School, Tanzil Academy, and Aflon Digital Schools, all in Abuja.

All sports were played by primary school children of each school except the football game which was played by Funtaj High school students and Football Academy with Funtaj High school emerging as the winner of the category and acquiring a trophy as an accolade. However, the two teams were generously gifted a sum of 400,000 Naira each by Ahmed Musa. Other sports played include 100-meter races, 200-meter races, 100 by 4 relay races, water bucket races, and sack races.

Winners in each sport category were given Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals to signify their positions and the top 3 winners of all these sports activities were LEA Karmajiji who emerged as the overall first, LEA Kabusa followed in  2nd Position and LEA Wuye came a close 3rd. They were awarded trophies as accolades. The Marathon had 2 teachers accompanying each school to the event, amounting to a total of 34 teachers, and 10 referees including judges and coaches who regulated the sports activities. There were also 29 Volunteers, 1 Master of Ceremony, and a Disk Jockey who serenaded the participants with awesome tunes. The event could not have been complete without the presence of the 7 vendors who sold different lavish foods and made the event extra entertaining for the children and guests.

Overall, the event was a success, with some attendant criticisms and suggestions on how to do better in subsequent episodes. The management of  Flexisaf Foundation appreciated every school, organization, and person that made the event a landmark success, and the foundation also reiterated its core mandate of making sure that the number of out-of-school children in the country is reduced to the barest minimum through intervention projects across the country and innovative advocacy events like the Education Marathon.