A 15-year-old student of Metro International School, Abuja, Khaira Ojima Bala, has emerged as the winner of the 16th UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, receiving a ₦15 million educational grant to pursue university education at any institution of her choice in Africa.
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Bala was announced as the overall winner during the competition’s grand finale held on Tuesday, November 10, at UBA House, Marina, Lagos. She emerged from 20 finalists selected from more than 15,000 entries submitted by senior secondary school students across Nigeria.
The competition challenged participants to examine the theme, “No Nation Can Develop Without Food Security: How Can Nigeria Deal With This Problem?” and propose practical solutions to the country’s food security challenges.
In her remarks, Bala expressed excitement over the achievement and dedicated the award to her parents, acknowledging their sacrifices and support throughout her education. She also thanked the UBA Foundation for providing young people with a platform to express their ideas.
Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School emerged second and received a ₦10 million educational grant, while Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of the University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School came third with ₦7.5 million.
God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, finished fourth and received ₦5 million, while Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, placed fifth with a ₦3.5 million grant.
The five winners will use their grants to pursue university education at institutions of their choice across Africa. All 20 finalists also received laptops to support their academic work and research, while their UBA accounts were credited with ₦20,000 each.
The total educational grants for this year’s competition amounted to ₦41 million, representing an 82 per cent increase from the ₦22.5 million awarded in the previous edition. The increase followed the expansion of the number of prize recipients from three to five and an upward review of the awards.
Speaking at the event, UBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, congratulated the finalists and encouraged them to remain committed to developing their intellectual abilities.
He said the competition reflected the bank’s commitment to investing in young people and Africa’s future, adding that the increased grants were intended to ease the financial burden of university education.
The Managing Director of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, said the initiative had continued to grow over its 16 editions, providing students with opportunities to strengthen their writing, research and critical-thinking skills.
She disclosed that the foundation had invested more than ₦3 billion in the competition over the past 16 years and planned to expand its reach to more African countries.
Presenting the judges’ report, Professor Ini Uko raised concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence in essay submissions. She disclosed that an estimated 35 to 40 per cent of the entries displayed characteristics associated with AI-generated content.
The judges recommended improved screening measures and writing workshops for teachers and participating schools, while emphasising that students should use AI tools responsibly by researching, personalising and critically evaluating the information they generate.
The UBA Foundation National Essay Competition, which began in Nigeria in 2011, is part of the foundation’s education initiatives aimed at promoting literacy, independent thinking and academic excellence among young people.
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