The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Essay Competition

  • Submission deadline for National Essay Competition on parliamentary system now July 31

    Submission deadline for National Essay Competition on parliamentary system now July 31

    Following the overwhelming interest of Nigerian students across the globe in the National Essay Competition on Parliamentary System, the Home-Grown Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), organiser of the competition, has announced the extension of the submission deadline earlier slated for June 12, 2024.

    A statement by the Convener, Home-Grown Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), says the new deadline for submission of essay is now midnight July 31, 2024.

    Also, the National Discussion, where distinguished guests and the public, will deliberate on the essay topic has been scheduled for Monday September 9 in Abuja.

    The National Essay Competition is open to all Nigerian students in tertiary institutions across the globe.

    The statement said there had been overwhelming interest of Nigerian students around the world in the essay competition, since it began last month. 

    It noted that many entries had been received on the essay portal but there were appeals from a cross section of students for extension of the submission deadline. 

    Read Also: Institute organises inaugural secondary school essay competition

    The national essay competition was sequel to the presentation of bills by a group of members of the House of Representatives in February seeking to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 for a transition from the current presidential system to parliamentary system at all levels of government. 

    The lawmakers had hoped that the presentation of the bills would 

    “Ignite, provoke a national conversation about the future of Nigerian governance system; ensure robust public debates, stakeholder consultations, expert analyses, and a thorough and informed decision-making process; and  raise awareness about the significant development and encourage constructive dialogue on the potential implications of these proposed constitutional alterations.” 

  • Mike Okonkwo essay competition gets winners

    Miss Onitilo Deborah of New Chrisfield College, Ikorodu Lagos has been announced as the overall winner of the 2018 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools.

    She scored 63 percent in the first round of the competition and 52% in the second round of the competition to come first.

    Miss Ashley Davidson of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Ikeja emerged second while Master Esigbone Ferdinand of Roshallom International Secondary School, Lagos came third.

    The other winner is Miss Fagbemi Ireoluwa of Roshallom International School, Lagos.

    The chief examiner, Professor Akachi Ezeigbo, said: “After a painstaking scrutiny, we adjudged only four as suitable for invitation to the second stage of the competition, which is basically a confirmatory procedure to verify the integrity of the original submission.

    “The content and structure of the four entries, we must say, are just sufficient to enable the candidates to score grades within the ‘B’ range.

    “The implication is the verve, creativity and imagination that we have seen in past performances are beginning to whittle down, even though enthusiasm to take part continues to rise”.

    She went on: “The entries for 2018 are characterized by the usual infractions such as confirmed incidences of plagiarism or direct lifting of materials from internet repositories, copying from textbooks and other printed sources, proven cases of collaboration among candidates and evidence that candidates might have received help from either of their teachers or parents.

    “The infractions are easily detected because the candidates use language above their educational stations.

    “In many cases, we verified originality of entries by conducting a simple Internet check and found many containing significant portions of existing works.

    The overall winner will receive N100, 000, a personal laptop, a trophy, a plaque while the school gets three sets of computer and a printer.

    The runner-up gets N75, 000, a plaque and the school will get two sets of computer and a printer.

    The third position goes home with N50, 000, a plaque and the school gets a computer set.

    The other winner will get a consolation price of N20,000.

    They will receive their prizes at the Mike Okonkwo annual lecture slated for Shell Hall Muson Centre, Onikan on September 5.

    The theme for the lecture, according to a statement by General Manager Operations of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission(TREM), Rev (Mrs.) Yomi Uteh, is “Nigeria’s unity: Matters arising”.

    It would be chaired by President General Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo worldwide, Chief John Nwodo while the lecture will be delivered by Barrister Femi Falana (SAN).

  • CIBN plans essay competition for students

    The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has unveiled plans for the maiden edition of its National Essay Competition for Undergraduates in Banking and Finance in all Nigeria Tertiary Institutions.

    The calls for entry from the eligible participants for the Essay Competition to be known as “Otunba Debola Osibogun’s National Essay Competition for undergraduates in Banking and Finance” commenced on June 19. The essay competition titled “The Digital Revolution and the Future of Banking in Nigeria” is expected to be a maximum of 1200 words.

    The Competition is open to all final year banking and finance undergraduates of universities and polytechnics in Nigeria accredited by Nigerian University Commission (NUC) and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) respectively who must provide proof of their eligibility.

  • NFC extends submission date for essay competition

    The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has extended the submission date for entries for its 2018 Film Essay competition.

    Earlier scheduled to close on June 29, 2018, the body in a press statement signed by Brian Etuk, Head, Public and Intergovernmental Affairs of NFC, extended the submission date by two months. Hence, interested participants have until Friday, August 31, 2018 to submit their entries.

    The topic of the essay competition is ‘Projecting Nigeria’s Value as a Great Nation through Film.’ And to be eligible, participants must be between 18 years old but below 25 years as at December 2018. According to the statement, entries must be in Arial font, 14 font size, typewritten in double line space, should not more than 15 pages on A4 size paper and should be sent to essaycomp2018nfc@gmail.com.

    Winners of the competition will get N250,000, N100,000 and N75,000 as cash prizes for the first, second and third best entries respectively. Winners in the essay competition will be announced in September 2018, and presentation of certificates to participants and cash prizes will take place during the 2018 edition of ZUMA film festival schedule between December 1 and December 7, 2018 in Abuja.

  • Lawyer sponsors essay contest

    Towards promoting academic excellence and giving back to the people of Boripe, Ifelodun and Odo-Otin federal constituency, a Lagos Lawyer and founder of the Ayodele Musibau Kusamotu’s Foundation, Mr. Ayodele Kusamotu, organised an essay competition in Osun State.

    Winner of the competition was Master Adeyemo Odunayo Adeshina of Shekina College, Inisha, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.

    About 660 pupils from 15 schools participated in the competition at the Holy Trinity Middle High School, Ikirun in Ifelodun Local Government Area.  The candidates were instructed to write a 450 words on topics like, “: Poverty: Causes, Effects and Solutions in Nigeria and Factors Responsible for Bad Leadership and Solutions.

    Forty pupils scored high in the competition.  However, eight of them were disqualified.

    A cash prize of N25,000 cash was presented to the 32 candidates that scaled through by the Akinrun of Ikirun land, Oba Rauf Olayiwola Olawale Adedeji II, on behalf of the founder Kusamotu at the Ikirun City Hall, Ikirun.

    The royal fathers at the event including the Aragbiji of Iragiji land, Oba Abdulrasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, the Olokuku of Okuku land, Oba Samuel Abioye Oyebode Oluronke II, the Oloyan of Oyan land, Oba Kilani Adekeye among others, pleaded for leniency for the disqualified eight.  The founder promised to award them their cash prizes this month.

    Kusamotu said the best legacy to give to young ones was education. He noted that such empowerment equips them for the future and makes a healthy rivalry and competition possible among the youths.

    He urged the students to be studious and focused in order to be successful in their chosen fields of study. He promised that his foundation would continue to prioritise the welfare of the people of Odo-Otin, Boripe and Ifelodun federal constituencies.

    Coordinator of the competition, Rauf Idowu Oloyede, said the essence of the competition was to reward academic excellence and to support the less privileged in the society.

    Guest speaker, Goke Omotola, son of  Prof  Jelili Omotola, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, urged the pupils to “Dare to be different” by embracing academic challenges, noting that only those who dared to be different with improved academic performance and dedication would be reckoned with in the society.

    Runners up in the essay competition were Sheu Yahuza Ayotunde of Unique International School, Oyebode Adeola Deborah of Intellectuals Academy and Adeyemi Samuel Adebayo of Kidvarc Group of Schools among others.

  • Student shines at essay competition

    Student shines at essay competition

    Miss Oluwabukumi Obembe has won a 10.1 inch android tablet at the Youth Square National Essay competition that focused on the electoral process in this year’s general elections.

    The contest was organised by Youth Square, an offshoot of Hacey Health Initiative, a non-governmental organisation committed to supporting women to live a healthy and productive life.

    It engaged women of between18-25 to express their views on election matters in the essay sponsored by the United States Consulate in Nigeria.

    Oluwabukumi, a National Open University of Nigeria Accounting undergraduate, wrote on: “My expectation on the 2015 election and beyond”.

    In her essay, she repeatedly advocated good governance, total ridding of corruption in the society, and complete awareness of human rights, among others. She expressed optimism on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as a step in the right direction.

    Oluwabukumi, who recounted how she stumbled on the contest online, added that she participated because she had always wanted a platform with which to express her views on governance.

    Opeyemi Adeniji came second while Nneka Isiekwe took the third place.

    Though the competition, which received about 180 entries nationwide, was held in March, only 15 were shortlisted for the final. The lucky winners were rewarded at the Consulate on Victoria Island, Lagos two weeks ago.

    Speaking at the event, the Coordinator, Youth Square, Ms Rhoda Robinson, said the project aimed to engage young women on governance.

    “We realised that it is not everybody who is qualified to vote, be voted for, or show interest in the voting procedure. So, we want them to know the essence and play their role in the political affairs of the country.”

    The Director of the Consulate, Mrs Dehab Ghebreab, advised the finalists to take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.

    “We need more women to be involved in politics not just in Nigeria but all over the world.

    “If you continue to be involved in governance, when you are done with school, you might want to participate in politics. Read about your country and beyond that think of about what you do. Make a difference in people’s life. It starts from home; make your presence felt by people around you,” Ghebreab said.

  • Don counsels pupils on essay competition

    Don counsels pupils on essay competition

    Senior secondary pupils who wish to submit entries for this year’s United Bank for Africa (UBA) National Essay Competition have been advised to desist from plagiarism or any other sharp practices when sending their entries, as defaulters would be disqualified by the panel of judges.

    A professor of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, and Chairman of the panel of judges for the competition, Ralph Akinfeleye, has also called on parents, teachers, principals, among others, to guide their wards against such practices.

    Akinfeleye, who lamented the high rate of examination malpractices in the country, said traces of it reflected in previous editions of the essay competition where many contestants could not defend the beautiful entries they sent when they were invited for the second stage of the competition to ascertain if they were the true writers of the essays.

    At a briefing last Thursday at the bank’s head office in Marina, Lagos, Akinfeleye also said interested candidates have till Friday, November 1 to submit entries.

    After sifting through the entries, Akinfeleye said the panel of three judges would select the best 12 entries, each of which must earn up to 70 per cent from the three judges. The essayists would be invited to undergo a second essay test on another topic at the UBA Academy.

    “UBA has its own quality control mechanism.Though the bank believes the students wrote the essay, if they are not quite sure whether it was written by students, then they will have to summon the first 12 to write on another topic before competent invigilators that will eventually select the three finalists,” he said.

    Responding to a question from a pupil on whether the judges would be objective in grading the entries, which would come in their thousands, Akinfeleye assured him that the judges are ‘quarantined’ during the process and well taken care of to ensure that they are thorough.

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation Ijeoma Aso, said the first, second and third prize winners will receive N1,000,000, N750,000 and N500,000 as education grants.

    She added that with the entries increasing from 719 in 2011 to 2,281 in 2012, the foundation expects even more pupils to participate this year.

    “The Essay competition is meant to complement UBA Foundation’s ‘Read Africa Initiative’ which is also part of the Foundation’s efforts in arresting the falling standard of education on the continent. This year we expect to receive more than 4000 entries for the competition. We encourage all senior secondary students across the country to send an entry with the next six weeks when the competition will be open,” she said.

    The Divisional Head, Marketing and Corporate Relations, UBA Plc, Mr Charles Aigbe, said the competition cuts across four focus areas of the Foundation-education, economic empowerment, environment and special project.

  • Entry deadline for essay competition extended

    The closing date for the Dickens Sanomi Annual Essay Competition 2013 has
    been extended by one week.

    The new closing date for submissions is Friday 13th September 2013.

    This extended deadline will give more state school pupils the opportunity to enter the competition, as
    the original deadline would have fallen just prior to the beginning of the
    new term.

    The Dickens Sanomi Annual Essay Competition gives secondary school pupils the opportunity to win a substantial grant towards
    the cost of their education. The competition is divided into junior and senior categories, with awards being given for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each.  The winners in each category could receive up to ₦450,000 towards their school fees, plus additional grants of up to ₦500,000 for their school to spend on facilities and new equipment, such as computers.

    For junior secondary school pupils the 2013 essay topic is:

    How environmental concerns and climate change affect Nigerians? Discuss.

    Senior secondary school pupils are asked to discuss the following issue:

    What are the effects of social media on Nigerian students/youths?

    Essays on either topic should be no more than 1,500 words long.  Entrants
    can submit their essays either by post, by email to info@dickenssanomi.org
    or by delivery in person to the Dickens Sanomi Foundation offices:

    Dickens Sanomi Foundation
    4 Oguda Close
    Off Lake Chad Crescent
    Maitama
    Abuja
    Nigeria

    In addition to their completed essays, entrants should also supply their
    name, telephone number, age and the name of the school that they attend.
    Further information on entering the competition can be found at the
    Dickens Sanomi Foundation website: www.dickenssanomi.org.

    The competition winners will be invited to receive their awards at a prize
    giving ceremony.  The date and location of this event have now been
    confirmed as 3rd October 2013 at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

    The Dickens Sanomi Foundation (DSF) was founded in 2011 by the children of
    Dickens Oghenereumu Patrick Sanomi. It serves both to commemorate the life
    of this remarkable man and to provide charitable support for that
    particular objective upon which he placed such great value, the education
    of Nigeria’s youth.

  • Ogun begins Essay Competition

    The Second Edition of the Ramadan Essay Writing/Quiz Competition for public students in Ogun State began yesterday in four centres across the State.

    The Essay/Debate competition, which has topics “Child Right: Islamic Perspective” and “Perceived Decay in the Education System, Who is to Blame: Parent, Teachers or the Government?” witnessed a large turnout of pupils in all the four centres – Remo Secondary School, Sagamu (Remo); Muslim College, Ijebu Ode (Ijebu); Yewa College, Ilaro (Yewa); and African Church Grammar School, Ita-Iyalode, Abeokuta (Egba).

    Organised by the Wife of the governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun and those of Ogun State Government Functionaries Association (SOSGFA), the competition involved schools across the 20 local government areas and was designed to assist the school children to have a good understanding of Islam and cultivate their interest in religious ideas.

    Mrs Amosun enjoined the pupils to reflect on the teachings of Allah and live together in peace and social harmony, saying “the Second Edition of Ramadan Essay/Quiz Competition would build on the success of the maiden edition held last year.”

    She said the Second Edition would feature Poem Writing for Primary School Pupils. “This requires pupils to write and submit their poem to the Education Secretaries in each of the Education Zones within the first two weeks in the month of Ramadan on the theme: ‘Ramadan! The Blessed Month,’” she said.