Otelaja Ayanfeoluwa, Oseni Akorede and Ogunlowo Ayomide were announced as the top three winners of the Ethical Living Project Essay Award for secondary schools in Lagos State organised by Enactus and African Capital Alliance Foundation.
Otelaja Ayanfeoluwa from CMS Grammar School was announced as the overall winner of the essay competition which had 353 applications from students in 10 secondary schools in the state.
Oseni Akorede from Akande Dahunsi Memorial Senior High School, Ikoyi came second, while Ogunlowo Ayomide from Boys Senior Academy, Lagos Island got the third position.
The overall winner got a laptop, plaque and N50,000 cheque, while the other winners got a prize money of N50,000, a smartphone, and a plaque each.
The 353 students from 10 selected schools approved by the Lagos State Ministry of Education participated in the essay writing competition titled “My Role as a Youth and the Strategies I will Deploy in Creating a More Ethical, Just, and Equitable Society”.
Okey Enelamah, the chairman of African Capital Alliance Foundation, a leading pan-African investment management firm speaking at the grand finale of the Ethical Living Project Awards ceremony said that it is essential for a society to instill and invest in ethical values especially as the world faces various challenges.
“To make a lasting impact, ethical values should become our daily life. We can only receive transformative power when we make an ethical living as a mantra.
“As important as protests are, they cannot be more important than educating our youth ethically,” he said.
He advised that it is daily choices that make a good society adding that ‘the value you build today will save you tomorrow. The youths have the power to save the society.
“We need to foster an environment that fosters ethical standards. At the African Capital Alliance Foundation, we are moved by the concept of a good society where people take responsible actions daily,” he added.
Enemalah explained that the ethical living project for the secondary schools in Lagos is at its pilot stage and that the organisers tend to extend it to other states of the federation.
Folasade Adefisayo, the immediate past commissioner of education in Lagos State in her keynote address titled; ‘Transformative Power of Ethical Living’, enjoined Nigerians as a people to always make conscious efforts to do the right thing at the right time in all circumstances.
“Being ethical is making choices, bearing in mind that something that I do now will affect generations unborn, hence, we must be careful of what we do per time because it will affect others,” she noted.
She admonished that the present generation has no choice but to be better if we are to have a better tomorrow, stating that the youth has the power to take us out of the situation we are in now.
“Ethical living affects the world. Society will benefit from you as you try to do your best. Live above others and you will build a society where all will be happy.
“Do the right thing and to everyone and you will have peace; it gives you great relationships. The problem of Nigerians is we’re not working and walking ethically,” she said.
Micheal Ajayi, the country director of Enactus, the implementing partner of the Ethical Living Project, said that the programme’s focus is on inculcating the values of ethical making in Nigerian youth.
“Social vices such as corruption, bribery, selfishness, and cybercrimes are prevalent in the society today because of lack of ethics, values, and morals,” he said.
Ajayi counselled the participating students to endeavour to apply what they have learned from the project daily.
He said the vision of the foundation is to raise a new generation of Nigerians who will champion ideals that make a great nation.
He disclosed that the project is deliberate, and built out of necessity to transform Nigerian youth and make them become change agents to transform the nation by embracing the highest standards in all they do.
“It is a commitment to the growth and development of the youth by building their capacity and national growth,” he said.
Juan Elegido, professor of business ethics at Pan-Atlantic University applauded the students for taking time out to participate in the training programmes on ethical living.
He enjoined the students to read at least one book a month, and as much as possible a book in a week to excel in their academics and quest to be writers.
“It’s only by reading books that you can make a good writer; don’t allow your problems to hinder you from excellence,” he said.
Otelaja, the overall winner, said he was delighted to emerge top of his counterparts.
“I have entered a lot of competitions, this is one of my first big wins. I’m inspired and encouraged to do more in future,” he said.
