The three winners of this year’s Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria have been rewarded with cash prizes, plaques and trophies.

The prizes were presented to Clinton Chimenem Agburum of Deeper Life High School, Port Harcourt, who came first; Mosorireoluwa Alimi-Adeiga from Holyland Senior College, Ipaja, who was first runner-up, and Oloruntimilehin Elijah Oladipo from Isolo Comprehensive Senior High School, who emerged second-runner up. The awards were presented at the 25th Mike Okonkwo lecture in Lagos.

Agburum, who scored 72 per cent in the first round and 85 per cent in the second round, averaging 79 per cent, got N800,000 cash prize, a laptop, plaque and trophy. Alimi-Adeiga, with 75 per cent in the first and second rounds and an average of 75 per cent went home with N500,000, a laptop and plaque, while Oladipo, with 70 per cent in the first and second rounds, and an average of 70 per cent got N400,000, a plague and tablet.

Officials of the three secondary schools got computer sets for the outstanding performance of their students.

Giving the Chief Examiner’s report, Prof Akachi Ezeigbo, said the winner leap-frogged from number four out of seven, in the first round of the competition to first position in the second round.

Ezeigbo said of the entries submitted from across the country, only 850 met the technical requirement and were submitted to the panel for review.

In general, the chief examiner noted that the entries provided convincing proof of how science and technology is transforming the delivery of education, and how students have positioned themselves to benefit from it, while awaiting the fundamental overhaul that the current curriculum would bring.

She appealed to the students not to jettison the idea of critical thinking, pointing out that “AI is useful but the human mind is still superior.”

The don appealed to the students to develop the habit of reading, so as to learn more, while urging the promoter of the award to continue with the prize so as to encourage research and reading.

Highlight of the event was the speech by a past winner of the essay competition, Dr Oluwatobi

Babarinsa. Babarinsa, who won the competition in 2006, acknowledged the impact of the award on his academic journey, and thanked the cleric for the initiative.

He urged the new winners to make good use of the opportunity, reminding them that the cash award actually shaped his life 20 years ago. (Guardian)