Kayode Olanrewaju The overall winners of 2023 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition instituted for Secondary Schools in the country has emerged. The winners, Destiny Ike, a student of VIK International School, Akere Alagbado in Ogun State emerged the overall winner, while Chibuzor Alexander of Archbishop Heerey Technical College, Ogidi in Anambra State clinched the second position, respectively.
Ike, who will smile home with a cheque of N500,000, a trophy, and a plaque, while the school gets a set of computers, and Alexander, who will receive a cheque of N250,000, a plaque and the school will get a set of computers, emerged the winners out of the 795 entries in the 18th edition of the essay competition. The theme for this year’s essay is “Nigerianisation of Nigerians: A Look Inward.” According to the Chief Examiner for the competition, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Ike and Alexander won the coveted trophy for addressing the topic within the mental orbit of their age and demonstrated commendable passion and independent thinking in their writing.
The winners will be presented with their prizes during this year’s Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture, billed for September 7, 2023, which will take place at the Zenith Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The theme for this year’s lecture is “Nigerianisation of Nigerians: A Look Inward.”
While congratulating the winners, the Chief Examiner said: “We congratulate and present them as exemplars of young people determined to forge their own path through critical use of easy ways.” She added: “We are constrained to present an overall winner and just one runner-up this year, against the normal practice of presenting one winner and two runners-up. A considerable chunk of the entries we received was, as usual, unsuitable for consideration.
They were either lifted directly from online sources and presented as original materials, or were revised and presented as such. “We are used to this practice among young people, and so spent considerable time tracking the essays on the internet in line with our quality control procedures.” Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition was instituted in 2004, as part of activities to celebrate and mark the birthday of the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr Mike Okonkwo, and more importantly to contribute to the development of the education sector.
Dr. Mike Okonkwo has continued in this gesture for the last 18 years, using his God-given talent, strength, and resources as a blessing to the younger generation in the pursuit of academic excellence by encouraging them to cultivate the habit of reading and writing effectively. Meanwhile, Bishop Okonkwo, who believes in the absolute development of mankind in all facets of life has continued to use the essay competition to achieve this dream and aspiration.
This is as the Corporate Services Director for TREM, Rev. Oluwayomi Uteh, said the essay competition has helped some students that participated in the yearly essay competition in a long way in developing interest in research work, reading extensively, and writing constructively. She said: “Apart from serving as a tool to encourage reading and writing, the competition has also availed the students the opportunity to bare their minds on topical issues that are significant to the social-economic development of our nation.
“The essay competition has also contributed to ICT development in secondary schools, especially in government-owned schools. Over the years winners have emerged from both public and private schools, and have always been encouraged with various gifts and prizes.” The sponsor and visionary of the programme, Bishop Okonkwo, is confident of the fact that Nigerian youths can compete favourably with their counterparts in developed nations.
