By Ifeoluwa Adeyeye
Benjamin Esther Oluwatoyin, a 200-level Accounting student from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) and an indigene of Ilaje Local Government Area, has emerged the champion of the 2025 Spelling Bee Competition.
The event, hosted at Margaret Mosunmola College of Health Technology, Owo, featured contestants from various tertiary institutions across Ondo State in an intense, intellectually charged contest.
Esther secured first place with 85 points, winning a cash prize of ₦300,000. Akinde Promise Excel from the College of Health Technology, Akure (CHTA), finished as the first runner-up with 45 points and received ₦200,000, while Okohokunbor Favour Oluwa Nifemi of Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo (AFUED), emerged second runner-up with 40 points and was awarded ₦100,000.
Speaking with Echo Media, Esther described her journey to the top as both challenging and transformative. She revealed that her school mother inspired her to register for the competition, adding that the encouragement strengthened her long-held desire to build a career in oratory.
Recounting her emotions upon reaching the final round, she said it was a blend of joy and pressure. “I was excited, but I was also afraid because many people believed in me, and I didn’t want to let them down,” she said.
Esther noted that no particular word challenged her during the competition, as she spelled all her words correctly. However, she said she struggled during preparation due to multiple study materials, adding, “I didn’t know where to focus because there were too many materials, Scripps, dictionaries, PDFs, and online resources.”
For preparation, she said she gave herself no break, revealing that “I finished a whole Oxford Dictionary in three days,” and also studied 4,000 words from a 28-page PDF within 24 hours, adding that pronunciation of words could be tricky even when familiar.
Esther, who barely sleep due to reading for the competition, acknowledged support from a 400-level colleague who tutored her, as well as her school father, school mother and her sister.
Speaking on what winning meant to her, Esther recalled that she came 10th out of 10 participants in a virtual debate competition last month, an experience that affected her mental health. She said, “This win boosted my confidence greatly.”
Her major challenge during preparation was time management, as she had a large volume of words to cover with no specific area of concentration. She also battled fatigue due to long hours of studying without involvement in other activities.
Esther stated that she is open to participating in more spelling bee competitions or similar contests in the future.
Offering advice to aspiring spellers, she emphasized the need for sacrifice and continuous learning. “You have to sacrifice and keep learning,” she said, adding that autocorrect on phones should be turned off, saying “what is a speller using autocorrect for.”
She advised spellers to remain observant and calm because “one wrong letter cannot be corrected,” and added that listening must align with the brain and mouth for accurate spelling.
