Mathematical Centre Rejects Nigeria’s Alleged Relegation From Global Contest

The National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Abuja, has dismissed reports claiming that Nigeria has been relegated to observer status by the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), describing the assertion as false, misleading and mischievous.

The NMC clarified that Nigeria’s absence from the 2025 and 2026 editions of the IMO was not due to inadequate funding by the Federal Government, but because the country did not receive the mandatory invitation from the organisers required to facilitate participation.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the Controller of Information and Public Relations, Onyekachi Njoku, the Centre explained that under the rules governing the International Mathematical Olympiad, invitation letters must be sent to participating countries before they can register students and process travel documents.

According to the statement, the organisers of the competition, including the host country, China, did not send an invitation letter to Nigeria, making it impossible for the country’s team leader to register students for the competition or obtain visas.

“Without a formal invitation, there would be no entry into the host country because the Chinese Embassy would not process visa applications for participants,” the statement said.

The Centre stressed that Nigeria did not register students for the 2025 and 2026 editions of the competition because no invitation was received, and not because the Federal Ministry of Education failed to provide funding.

It further clarified that the only time Nigeria participated in the IMO as an observer nation was in 2005 in Mexico, when the country attended the event to complete the formalities required to become a participating member.

“Since then, Nigeria has consistently participated in the competition, won medals and recorded impressive performances,” the statement added.

The NMC also rejected claims that the Federal Government had failed to fund international Olympiads for four consecutive years, pointing to Nigeria’s recent participation in the 2026 Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

It noted that the Acting Director and Chief Executive of the Centre, Prof Benjamin Oyelami, led the Nigerian delegation to the continental competition, demonstrating the government’s continued support for academic excellence.

According to the Centre, the administration of President Bola Tinubu, through the Federal Ministry of Education, remains committed to ensuring Nigeria’s participation in international academic competitions, including the International Mathematical Olympiad, International Physics Olympiad, International Chemistry Olympiad, International Biology Olympiad and the International Olympiad in Informatics.

The statement disclosed that the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has approved Nigeria’s participation in all international Olympiads scheduled for this year, as well as the country’s attendance at the 26th COMSATS Coordinating Council Meeting in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The NMC maintained that observer status is reserved for countries seeking to join the competition for the first time and does not apply to Nigeria, which has participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad for more than two decades.

While acknowledging that there were technical challenges in the registration process, the Centre said measures are being put in place to prevent a recurrence and assured that Nigeria would continue to participate actively in international mathematical science competitions.