Nigeria’s Three Young STEM Stars Win Gold at the 2026 International STEM Olympiad in Rome

They went to Rome, they competed against 154 countries, and they came home with gold. All three Nigerian students representing the country at the 2026 International STEM Olympiad in Rome have won gold medals, and the results are even more remarkable than anyone anticipated.

Chimdiebube Onwubiko, the best mathematician in Nigeria at the junior secondary level, won gold in mathematics. Don Anele Munachimso Marvelous, already Nigeria’s best IGCSE Chemistry student, went one better and took gold in both mathematics and science, making him the best in the world in science at this competition. And Egejurum Onyedikachi Ethan, who is just 11 years old and currently in Primary 6, won gold in the primary mathematics category, making him the best primary school mathematician in the world at the 2026 International STEM Olympiad.

Their sponsor Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, who funded the entire trip and travelled to Rome with the students and their teachers, broke the news on X with barely contained pride. “The wait is over. We have 2 golds: Chimdiebube Onwubiko and Don Anele Munachimso. We are the best in the world!” he wrote, before following up with more good news about Egejurum Onyedikachi, whose name had initially been omitted from the results. “Onyedikachi Egejurum got a Gold. He is the best in Mathematics in the world Primary Category. This is the beginning of greatness for the country.”

There was also a touching surprise at the award ceremony in Rome: Egejurum Onyedikachi’s mother had quietly made her way to Rome to watch her son receive his gold medal in person.

The three students had spent months preparing for the competition before travelling to Rome, where they also found time to enjoy a boat ride with peers from other countries and a visit to Cinecittà World Aqua World amusement park. Onyia, who has made it his mission to push Nigeria’s brightest young minds onto global stages, reflected on the bigger picture. “In 10 years, I pray you will be alive to see what this generation of our children will become through our sustained effort. They will be greater than we have ever been.”

 

 

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