Winners of the 2022 Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria have been recognized with cash prizes, desktops and laptops, among others, for their remarkable achievement.
At a lavish event held at the Shell Zenith Bank Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, the winners were given their awards.

The Mike Okonkwo Foundation established the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture and Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools, both of which take place on September 8 each year, in honor of Dr. Mike Okonkwo, the presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM).
Lagos State schools won six of the ten awards given out at the occasion; three of those schools were public schools.

Professor Anya O. Anya gave this year’s speech, “Nigeria, A Country at War Against Itself: The Problems, Solutions and the Way Forward,” and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd) chaired the event.
The overall winner, 15-year-old Ayeni Oluwanifemi Bright of State Senior High School, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, took home a cash reward of N100,000 together with a laptop, trophy, and plaque for herself and her school.

In order to win the competition overall, Ayeni had to achieve 65 percent overall, 71 points in the second stage, and 58 points in the first.
Eneche Leila, a 13-year-old student at Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, came in third place with scores of 60 and 65 points in the first and second stages and 63 percent overall. Yekini Roqeed Abolaji, a 15-year-old student at Ijegun Senior Comprehensive High School, Isolo Lagos, came in second with scores of 59 and 68 in the first and second stages, respectively, and 64 percent overall.

Yekini, who placed second, was given a cash for N75,000, a plaque, and two sets of computers for the school, while Enecha, who placed third, was given a cheque for N50,000, a plaque, and a computer set.
At the ceremony, a N20,000 consolation award was given to each of the remaining seven competition winners.

This year’s essay competition included two stages and the following topics: “Nigeria, A Country At War Against Itself: The Problems, The Solutions And The Way Forward,” and “Elections in 2023: A New Nigeria or a Fall Into Chaos.”
throughout a thousand entries from secondary schools all throughout the federation were received, according to Chief Examiner Professor Akachi Ezeigbo.

The friendly topic clearly mapped out the structural expectations for the knowledgeable students, who responded by articulating their understanding of the Nigerian situation in ways that revealed their deep immersion in socio-political issues, according to Ezeigbo, who was represented at the annual lecture and award presentation ceremony by Dr. Adaobi Muo.

She mentioned that the authors of the top ten essays received invitations to the competition’s second stage, where the finalists were chosen.
The examiner added that the winners addressed the two subjects as outstanding students in their class and category and shown an extraordinary grasp of them.

The Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu, spoke at the event. He was accompanied by Prince Bayo Osiyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who said that the fact that students from Lagos State schools placed first and second in a national competition demonstrated the value of the state’s investment in education.
The governor thanked the winners and gave recognition to the competition organizers for their perseverance and dedication in raising the bar.

In his remarks, the celebrant, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, thanked the competition winners and encouraged them to keep up the excellent work so they may succeed in their future endeavors.