UBA essay competition,15-year-old pupil wins N1m

Fifteen-year-old Master Ezenwa Okonkwo, a pupil of Ambol Comprehensive High School, Akesan-Igando, Lagos, has won the coveted prize of N1m educational grant in the third edition of the United Bank for Africa national essay competition for senior secondary schools in Nigeria.

He emerged overall winner from nearly 2000 entries received across the country.

Toluwase Adeagbo of Sharon Rose Schools College, Saki, Oyo State and Korie Ijeoma of Air Force Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, emerged first and second runner ups, also getting N750,000 and N500,000 respectively as educational grants.

Speaking during the grand finale and prize presentation of UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for Senior Secondary Schools, held at the bank's headquarters in Lagos, President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mr. Alkali Mohammed, commended the foundation for the initiative and urged other institutions to emulate the initiative.

According to him, the path towards sustainable development is through investment in the education of its youths, particularly in Nigeria.

Harping on the ideals behind the essay contest he said, "Any competition such as this will certainly help to bring out the best in the youths, by kindling their competitive spirit and academic excellence"

The bank's Deputy Managing Director, Kennedy Uzoka, explained that the initiative was not only to test the aptitude and knowledge of the pupils but it has become an advance to groom future UBA Ambassadors.

He said the winners who would go to any university of their choice in Africa, would remain part of the UBA family provided they were of good behaviour and remain focused.

"In UBA, we appreciate and nurture talents. All the finalists here today have opportunity to excel in life and UBA is delighted to play a part in the process," he added.

The UBA National Essay Competition, which opened for entries in September and closed on November 1, 2013, received nearly 2000 entries from which 12 finalists were selected to write a supervised essay at the bank's head office. The three winners emerged based on their performance at the supervised essay.

Meanwhile, the bank also distributed free books to pupils in some selected schools in Osun and Kwara states.

The Regional Bank Head for UBA in Kwara/ Osun, Mr. Babajide Bewaji, said this on Thursday in an interview with our correspondent after the distribution of the books to the pupils of Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo.

Bewaji said the bank noticed that reading habit had gone down drastically among the youths in the country and the bank decided to give free books to secondary school pupils to revive it.

The Principal of the school, Mrs. Olakitan Ajayi, while thanking the bank for selecting her school as one of the beneficiaries, advised the pupils to spend more time to read than time spent to watch movies. She said, "Whether you are in science class or arts class, reading will assist you in life. You will be ahead of your mates if you read wide. A reader today is a leader tomorrow."