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A 15-year-old student of Metro International School, Abuja, Khaira Ojima Bala, has emerged winner of the 16th UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, receiving a N15 million educational grant.
Bala was announced as the overall winner at the grand finale of the competition held at UBA House, Marina, Lagos, on Tuesday.
She will use the grant to pursue university education at any institution of her choice in Africa.
The competition attracted more than 15,000 entries from senior secondary school students across Nigeria, with 20 finalists selected for the final stage.
The students were asked to write on the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School emerged first runner-up and received N10 million, while Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School came third, winning N7.5 million.
God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, came fourth and received N5 million, while Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, placed fifth with N3.5 million.
In all, the foundation awarded N41 million in educational grants to the five winners, representing an 82 per cent increase from the N22.5 million given out in the previous edition.
The 20 finalists also received laptops to support their studies and research, while each had N20,000 credited to their UBA accounts.
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Speaking after receiving her award, Bala dedicated the prize to her parents, acknowledging 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,” she said.
“I also want to thank the UBA Foundation for believing in young people like me and giving us a platform to share our ideas.”
UBA Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, congratulated the finalists, describing their selection from more than 15,000 entries as evidence of their hard work and determination.
“You were selected from more than 15,000 students, and you earned this place through your hard work, your curiosity and your determination. We do this because we believe in the future of this continent, and the best investment we can make in that future is in our youth,” Alawuba said.
He explained that the increase in the grants was intended to help students cope with the rising cost of education.
“As inflation increases and it becomes more difficult to see a child through school, we have raised the amounts to make sure these students get to school. For us, that is important,” he said.
Alawuba also disclosed that the foundation was considering organising writing workshops for participating schools to improve students’ writing skills, confidence and critical thinking.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the competition had supported young Nigerians over the past 16 years, with some former participants going on to excel in universities and their careers.
“Over 16 editions, we have watched our finalists go on to excel in universities and careers across the world, and that is the impact we set out to achieve,” Atta said.
She disclosed that the foundation had spent more than N3 billion on the competition over the past 16 years, adding that the increase in the number of winners and grant amounts would enable more young people to pursue university education.
The UBA Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa. The essay competition, which started in Nigeria in 2011, has since expanded to other African countries where the bank operates.
