Sokoto State University Hosts ACS Chemistry Festival in Northwest Nigeria

The first-ever American Chemical Society (ACS) Chemistry Festival in Northwestern Nigeria was held at Sokoto State University, August 19-20, 2019. In commemoration of the International Year of the Periodic Table (#IYPT2019), featured activities aligned with the theme, “The Periodic Table: 150 Years of Shaping the World through Chemistry," included talks, a quiz competition, hands-on experiments, a hosted discussion on green and sustainable chemistry, a career path workshop for undergraduate students, and a novelty football match. The festival was jointly organized by the  Sokoto State University ACS International Student Chapter and the Student Chemical Society of Nigeria Sokoto State University Chapter.

The high point of the event was the quiz competition. Competing in the senior secondary category were Alheri Schools, Sokoto (first place); Nagarta College, Sokoto (second place); and Shehu Shagari College of Education Staff secondary school, Sokoto (third place). In the teriary institution category, Federal University Birnin Kebbi; Umar Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto; and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, were the first, second, and third prize winners, respectively.

The festival had more than 300 participants, including the Vice Chancellor of Sokoto State University, Prof. Sani Mohammed Dangoggo; ACS Nigeria Chemical Sciences Chapter Chair, Prof. Joshua A. Obaleye; and representatives of the Sokoto State Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education and of Science and Technology.

In his remarks, Vice Chancellor Dangoggo pledged to continue to support student associations in the institution and thanked the ACS for supporting the festival. The registrar of the university, Amina Yusuf Garba, thanked staff and students of the department of chemistry for making the event a huge success. Participants commended the event and the ACS and urged that the festival be held yearly.