The Corporate Social Responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, UBA Foundation, on Monday, November 20 unveiled the winners of the 2017 edition of its annual UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary schools.
The annual essay competition, which began in 2011, is geared towards the development of education in all communities of the bank’s operation through education grants to deserving students. This is in line with the Foundation’s commitment to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which UBA operates, focusing on development in the areas of environment, education, economic empowerment and special projects.
Conceived primarily as part of the Foundation’s initiative to promote creative and analytical thinking among senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa, the annual competition is a follow-up on the Foundation’s Read Africa initiative, which promotes reading culture among students through mentoring and free distribution of African literary classics in secondary schools. By so doing, the bank has also initiated a process that will unleash the creative writing potentials of these students.
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The competition has since its inception in 2011 produced several winners, including Emediong Uduak Uko, Starfish Ugie-Oritse-Ete Enonuya, Enitan Amodu, Ugochinyere Golden Eze, Ezenwa Joseph Okonkwo, Toluwase Adeagbo, Ijeoma Jennifer Korie, among others. Some of these are currently studying in various prestigious universities across Africa while some have completed their studies.
This year, 15-year-old Samuella Sam-Orlu of British Nigerian Academy, Abuja, Deborah Chinwendu Innocent of Enal International Schools, Abuja, and Yahofon Ettah Essien of Nigerian Christian Institute, Akwa Ibom State won the first, second and third prizes, respectively, at the grand finale of the competition held at the UBA Head Office, Marina, Lagos.
Sam-Orlu, who clinched the first position ahead of 11 other finalists, won herself an educational grant of N1,000,000 to study in any African university of her choice as well as a laptop; Deborah Innocent, the second prize winner, got an N750,000 educational grant and a laptop, while the third prize winner, Essien, got an N500,000 educational grant and a laptop.
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The other nine finalists also got a laptop each, while all 12 finalists went home with certificates. The finalists were selected from over 1,000 entries received by the UBA Foundation from students of senior secondary schools across Nigeria this year.
Visibly elated, Sam-Orlu said winning the competition would propel her to do more in attaining her dreams of becoming a medical director.
“I am very thrilled, and thankful to God. I want to say that I was very grateful to hear my name announced as the winner. I am indeed very grateful to UBA for this huge opportunity and making me believe in myself,” Sam-Orlu said.
“This grant will go a long way to support my bid for quality education,” she said.
No doubt, the name of UBA will forever remained etched in the minds of Sam-Orlu and other winners of the competition, past and future, and in time to come when the stories of these young people will be written, UBA will deserve a special mention for creating a platform through which their educational aspirations got a boost.
Already, some of these stories are being written. Enitan Amodu, one of the past winners of the 2011 edition who attended this year’s event, is eloquent testimony.
“Being a winner of this grant gave me a platform to shine and has helped to reinforce my determination that I can achieve anything I set out to do,” said Amodu, who is now a graduate of Physiotherapy from Babcock University.
“That is why every day, with heartfelt gratitude to UBA, I have decided to be a worthy ambassador of the foundation by keeping the fire burning, most importantly because I don’t want to be another unemployed graduate statistic.”
Bola Atta, managing director/chief executive officer, UBA Foundation, while congratulating the winners, urged those who did not go home with any prize to not only see themselves as winners but also take up the challenge to improve their writing skills and determine to win next time.
“Every student who sent in an entry is on a winning streak already. To be confident about your writing skills and thirsty enough to enter a competition to further enhance your educational path is laudable,” Atta said.
“For those that did not win, I would say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing skills and enter for the competition again in 2018,” she said.
Atta encouraged the finalists to be good ambassadors of the competition. She emphasised that UBA Foundation, as the CSR arm of UBA Plc, is committed to giving back to communities where UBA operates and that education, being the bedrock of any nation, is one of the Foundation’s focus areas. She affirmed that the competition would be held every year.
Kennedy Uzoka, MD/CEO, UBA Plc, said UBA as a bank was happy that it was touching lives and making a solid impact through the competition and the grant it gives out to those who emerge winners.
“Seeing past winners tell their stories on the impact the grants have made on their education, and particularly how the financial burden was lifted off their parents, gives us joy that our foundation is unique and stands out from others in touching lives,” Uzoka said.
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He informed the gathering that the essay competition has produced over 100 winners since its inception in 2011 in Nigeria, with winners studying various courses in universities in Nigeria and within the African continent. He stressed the bank’s determination to ensure that the grants are given to those who really need it.
“That is why we restrict the grant to schools within Africa alone. If by chance the parents of any winner send their ward to an elite school outside Africa, we would not go ahead with that support because what we are really after are those who need the grant as we contribute to the development of Africa,” he said.
He encouraged the winners to be of good character and ensure that apart from academic excellence, they avoid any negative action that might dent the Foundation’s image and that of their families.
In Uko, a professor of English (Gender Studies) and director, Pre-degree Studies, University of Uyo, who led the judges, said they were impressed with the participants who showed lots of promise, noting that the students wrote intelligently and their ideas were well articulated, new and refreshing. She added that the judges were also encouraged by the fact that entries came in from students from all parts of the country.
CHUKS OLUIGBO
