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By Paul Nwokocha
Fifteen-year-old Davina Phillips of Bloombreeds School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for secondary school students in Nigeria.
The Chief Examiner, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, said after going through the submissions, the best five essays were selected and a second physical round stage of the competition was organised on a different topic, to see the extent that the students would confirm their abilities in a more regulated examination environment.
She disclosed that Phillips, who moved from fourth position in the first round to first place in the second round, scored 70 percent in the first stage and 80 percent in the second, securing a final tally of 75 percent.
Prof. Ezeigbo noted that the first runner-up, 16-year-old Aniki Emmanuella Onizi of Babcock High School, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, recorded a final tally of 68 percent after scoring 75 percent in the first round, while 15-year-old Maryam Opeyemi Ilyas of Isawo Comprehensive High School, Wisdom Island, Ikorodu, Lagos, came third with a final tally of 66 percent, having scored 71 percent in the first round.
This was contained in a statement by Rev. Tony Samuel.
Professor Ezeigbo said the competition involved two stages. “After the first round, the top five essays were selected for a physical examination in a second round, where students were assessed on a different topic under strict supervision,” she stated.
She commended the participants for their understanding of complex, adult-themed issues, but noted instances of plagiarism and the use of Artificial Intelligence in submissions.
“As usual, a substantial number revealed evidence of collaboration with peers and copying from the internet, text books and other sources. It was easy to reach this conclusion because the imprints of sources were uncreatively left behind in the bodies of the essays submitted. We noticed the use of Artificial Intelligence in the generation of much of the content examined. This shows that our students are doing well by consulting sources that have become inevitable in knowledge generation and transmission,” she said.
She stressed the importance of teaching students how to use such sources creatively, intelligently and with proper validation.
For their achievements, Phillips will receive ₦1,000,000 and a laptop, while her school will be awarded a set of computers. Onizi will take home ₦500,000 and a laptop, alongside a computer set for her school, while Ilyas will receive ₦400,000, a laptop, and a computer set for her school. Other finalists will get ₦50,000 each as consolation prizes.
The winners will be officially honoured at the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture Series on September 4, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The essay competition, launched in 2004 to mark the birthday of Bishop Okonkwo, aims to promote reading, writing, research, and ICT development in Nigerian secondary schools. Over the years, it has provided both the government and private schools’ students with a platform to express their views on national issues, while rewarding excellence with substantial prizes.
Dr. Okonkwo reaffirmed his commitment to nurturing academic excellence among Nigerian youths, expressing confidence that they could compete favourably with their peers globally.
