Group Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; English Teacher, Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi; Managing Director /CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, UBA Plc Ogechi Altraide;Group Head, External and Media Relations, UBA Plc, Mr. Ramon Nasir, flanked by students and teachers of some selected secondary schools in Lagos during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on Tuesday
Business

UBA Foundation’s National Essay Competition 2019 to Reward Schools with Highest Entries

294

 

UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has commenced the 2019 edition of its annual National Essay Competition in Nigeria with a call for entries.

 

Now in its 9th year, the essay competition, targeted at senior secondary school students in Nigeria is organised annually, as part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative which is aimed at promoting the reading culture and encouraging healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.

 

At the media launch which took place at UBA headquarters in Lagos, the call for entries was announced today. Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, said the essay competition, which is in its ninth edition, will provide an opportunity for students in secondary schools across the country to put in their entries and to win prizes in the form of educational grants to study in any university of their choice on the African continent.

 

Beginning from last year, the prize money increased significantly as the UBA Foundation emphasises that education remains one of the foundation’s key initiatives.

 

The first prize for the UBA National Essay Competition is a N2 million educational grant, while the second and third prizes are N1.5 million and N1m educational grants respectively.

 

Speaking to the students and participants at the event, Bola Atta said, “To us at the Foundation, this is our drive to improve the quality of education across the continent. It is also our way of giving back to the society.  The competition is a key aspect of our investment drive in human capital, as we seek to improve knowledge base, allow students to express themselves and write creatively. We will continue to sustain the initiative because education is very important to UBA and we are more than committed to providing the necessary support for students in Nigeria and across the African continent,” she noted.

 

“We are driven by the mantra to do well and do good and we will not relent in our efforts to touch lives through our various projects, and initiatives,” Bola Atta told the excited students.

 

Explaining the modalities for the competition, she stated that entries received from students for the competition will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges made up of professors from reputable Nigerian Universities, who will then shortlist 12 best essays for further assessment.

 

Following this, a second round of the competition will involve the 12 finalists who will write a second supervised essay from which three best essays will be selected as the overall winners from the 12 finalists emerged from the first round of the competition.

 

Atta explained that the choice of essay for this year’s competition is one that helps promote creative and analytical thinking in students and helps them to be problem solvers.

 

This year, the topic is “What do you think the government should do to control fraud in Nigeria?”

 

It is important to note that apart from Nigeria, the national essay competition has been taken to other African countries including Ghana and Senegal. More  countries including Mozambique and Kenya will kick off the initiative this year. A unique component of this year’s edition is that, schools that turn in the highest number of entries will be recognised and rewarded a special prize by the Foundation.

 

Also speaking at the call to entries today, the Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, Ogechi Altraidewho spoke on the benefits of reading and writing essays, motivated the students to research into the topics and give it their best shot, adding that there is the need for them to focus on adapting themselves to happenings in their generation, and to have a growth mindset. This she explained, will ensure that they can apply themselves and conquer whatever challenges they are faced with.

 

According to her, reading and writing go hand in hand, and so it is important for students to keep abreast of how the economy can develop through reading and writing.

 

An English teacher from Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi, gave the students tips on how to write good essays, and advised them to keep to the proper tenets of essay writing to come out tops in the competition.

 

As the CSR platform for the UBA Group, UBA Foundation embodies the Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through a number of laudable projects and initiatives.

 

Each year, the bank donates thousands of books to students in Nigeria and across Africa, under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative to encourage and promote the reading culture in secondary schools.

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Nigeria’s private sector records first job decline in months amid inflationary pressures

Nigeria’s private sector experienced its first decline in employment in seven months,...

Foreign Holdings in Nigeria Drop Amid Naira Crisis, Corporate Cos’ Exits

Nigeria has experienced a sharp decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) inward...

FG begins N50 electronic levy deductions on Opay, Moniepoint, Kuda transactions

The Federal Government has commenced the deduction of a N50 electronic levy...

Nigerian Exchange Records Modest 1.97% Increase in October Transactions

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) has reported a total transaction value of N502.73...

Breaking: CBN Raises Benchmark Interest Rate to 27.50% Amid Inflation

For the umpteenth time, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised...

UBA to empower MSME’s with wealth management strategies at its ‘Built to Last’ series

As part of its commitment to deepen the growth and sustainability of...

FirstBank Hosts First-ever China-Africa Interbank Association Forum

FirstBank, the premier West African financial institution and financial inclusion service provider,...

UBA to raise N239.4bln via right issues – Elumelu

The Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, has announced...

Nigeria’s Domestic Debt Reaches N66.957trn in H1 2024

Nigeria’s domestic debt stock has surged to N66.957 trillion in the first...

China’s imports from Nigeria soar to $15.1bln, 36.1% increase

China’s imports from Nigeria have reached an all-time high of $15.1 billion...

Bitcoin Surges to New High on Trump’s Presidential Victory

The price of bitcoin has skyrocketed to a record high of $75,345,...

Polaris Bank wins “Best Mobile App” award at Digital Jurist Awards 2024

For its commitment to digital innovation and excellence, Polaris Bank has again...

SanDisk extreme portable SSD: A must-have for Nigerian remote workers, freelancers

Julius Babarinde As the Nigerian work environment continues to evolve, remote work...

Media capacity-building: Polaris Bank trains 5,000 Nigerian journalists in 10 years

As part of its media capacity-building initiative, Polaris Bank Limited, Nigeria’s leading...

Nigeria to issue diaspora bond in US, targets $1bln monthly remittances

Nigeria is planning to issue a diaspora bond in the United States...

System upgrade: FirstBank enhances supplier’s platform, guarantees uninterrupted, seamless services

FirstBank has reacted to a misleading report circulating in the media regarding...

Reps to CBN: Withdraw old naira notes before December 31 deadline

The House of Representatives has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria...

US-Nigeria trade relationship hits $10bln mark

The United States and Nigeria have achieved a remarkable milestone in their...

NNPC Retail Sensitizes Auto Mechanics on CNG Adoption, Unveils Oleum Lubricant Range

NNPC Retail Limited, a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd, has taken a significant...

Aliko Dangote’s wealth soars to $28bln as his oil refinery comes on stream

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has seen his wealth more than double...