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Winners of the 21st edition of the Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition were showered with cash, laptop, desktops and plaques while their schools received desktops.
The winners and schools were presented with their different awards at the 25th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture as part of activities to mark the 81years birthday of the Presiding Bishop of TREM, Bishop Okonkwo.
At the award ceremony held in Lagos, consolation prizes were announced for students who placed 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th positions respectively.
The first position went to Agburum Clinton Chimenem, of Deeper Life High School, Port Harcourt.
In the first round of the essay, he got 72 per cent and in the second round, he scored 82 per cent to emerge winner with 79 per cent.
He went home with N800, 000, a trophy, plaque, laptop while his school received a complete Desktop.
The second position was secured by Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa, of Holyland Senior College, Ipaja.
In the first and second round of the competition, she scored 75 per cent and had an average score of 75 per cent.
She was presented with N500, 000, Laptop and a plaque. Her school received a complete Desktop.
Oladipo Elijah Oloruntimilehin from Isolo High School, Lagos, emerged 3rd best.
In the first and second round of the essay, he got 70 per cent with an average score of 70 per cent.
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He received N400, 000, Tablet, plaque and his school got a Desktop.
An elated Agburum told Daily Sun that his English teacher prepared him for the essay competition.
Agburum said he was not sure about winning the competition but after the first round, he worked hard for the second round and got 85 per cent. He intends to study Mechanical Engineering.
The Chief Examiner, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, commended Bishop Okonkwo for what he is doing for Nigerian children and to boost reading and research.
Prof. Ezeigbo said 850 students submitted entries and that many were disqualified because their answers were generated by A1.
She added: “AI is now thinking for our students. It was most obvious that AI wrote the essay of the students whose entries were disqualified. A1 has to be used fully but it should not think for us.
The don tasked students to develop the habit of reading. She appealed to Bishop Okonkwo to continue to award the prize to students to encourage research and reading.
One of the past winners and now a medical doctor, Oluwatobi Babarinsa, lauded Bishop Okonkwo for the essay competition and revealed that his mum is happy that Okonkwo continued to sponsor the competition.
Babarinsa disclosed that when he won the competition, his family was facing financial challenges and that the award money was used to pay his first term secondary education
According to him, no version of his history will be written without mentioning Bishop Okonkwo and wished him continuous good health as well as service to mankind.
Chairman of the annual lecture, Femi Falana and the guest speaker, Ayo Obe, acknowledged Bishop Okonkwo contributions to nation building, especially, sponsoring the national essay competition.
