UNN sweeps 2020 ARSO competition

By Charles Okonji

The 2020 edition of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) annual essay competition in Nigeria has been swept by three students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka who emerged National winners.

According to the statement from the office of the Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, the winners are James Ibe-Akunna who topped the chat with 66.31percent, Eze Harrison Ebuka, 65.50percent and Eze Samson Somtochukwu 65.47percent.

Salim noted that two other essays from Evan-Ibe S. Sobechi and Offor O. Christopher completed the five entries presented by Nigeria to ARSO for the continental competition.

The DG said, “The theme for this year’s edition is “The Role of Standardisation in Resolving and Addressing the Socio-Economic Issues for the Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons and Creating Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa.”

He congratulated the winners of the essay competition, expressing hope that some of the five entries from Nigeria would be among the final winners at the continental version of the competition.

He called on all undergraduates in tertiary institutions in Nigeria to participate in future editions of the competition to further spread the gospel of standardisation and deepen the understanding of its potential for value addition to lives, the economy, and the environment.

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The SON Chief Executive expressed appreciation to the inter-ministerial screening committee responsible for the collation, assessment, and scoring of the essays.

“A total of forty-three essays were received from eleven government-approved tertiary institutions out of which forty-one met the requirement for assessment, the statement said.

“Members of the inter-ministerial screening committee, according to the SON statement include representatives of the Federal Ministries of Education, Health, Women Affairs, and Social Development as well as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

“Others were the National Universities Commission; Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria providing the Secretariat and coordination,” he expressed.