A 15-year-old student of Metro International School, Abuja, Khaira Ojima Bala, has won the 16th UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and a N15 million educational grant.
She was announced overall winner at the grand finale held on Tuesday at UBA House, Marina, Lagos. Twenty finalists from secondary schools across Nigeria competed for the top prizes.
The N15 million grant will allow her to study at any university of her choice in Africa.
Bala dedicated the award to her parents and thanked them for their sacrifices towards her education.
“I am so happy right now. My parents have sacrificed so much for my education, and this award belongs to them as much as it belongs to me.
“I also want to thank the UBA Foundation for believing in young people like me and giving us a platform to share our ideas,” she said.
Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School came second and won N10 million.
Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School placed third and received N7.5 million.
God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, finished fourth with N5 million. Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, came fifth and took home N3.5 million.
The 20 finalists emerged from more than 15,000 entries submitted by senior secondary school students nationwide.
This year’s theme was “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
The finalists also took part in a one-day writing boot camp with the judges to sharpen their writing and analytical skills.
Total educational grants this year reached N41 million, an 82 per cent increase from the N22.5 million awarded in the previous edition.
The rise followed an increase in the number of prize winners from three to five, along with higher individual awards.
All 20 finalists also received modern laptops for their academic work and research. Their UBA accounts were credited with N20,000 each as a gesture from the bank’s Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba.
Alawuba congratulated the finalists and described them all as winners. He urged them to see their participation as proof of what hard work, commitment and curiosity can achieve.
He also encouraged the students to stay focused on their education and keep developing their intellectual abilities.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
