How UBA is Pushing the Literacy Agenda through Its National Essay Competition

For 15 years, the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition has used writing as a tool to promote literacy, critical thinking and national consciousness among Nigerian secondary school students. The 2025 edition saw several thousand entries from across the country, with students challenged to explore how Nigeria’s diversity can be harnessed to build a united nation, creating a platform for young voices to engage ideas, compete intellectually and shape conversations about the country’s future. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports

For 15 years, the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition (NEC) has functioned as a deliberate literacy intervention, designed to rekindle a culture of reading, writing and critical thinking among Nigerian youths.

Beyond a contest, the initiative has evolved into a national platform where secondary school students are encouraged to interrogate ideas, articulate solutions to national issues and express themselves through structured writing, regardless of their social or geographic background.

Through this annual competition, the UBA Foundation has steadily positioned literacy as a cornerstone of youth empowerment and national development, reaching thousands of students across urban and rural communities.

This year,  the competition shared grants exceeding N18 million, the highest allocation since the programme began. The first-place prize was increased to N10 million from N7.5 million in 2024, while the second- and third-place awards rose to N7.5 million and N5 million from N5 million and N3.5 million, respectively.

That commitment was brought into sharp focus in Lagos on Tuesday when 13-year-old Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimilehin of Igando Community Senior High School, Igando, emerged as the overall winner of the 15th edition of the NEC. A public school student,  Ebunoluwa became the youngest winner in the competition’s history and the first male winner in more than eight years, breaking a long trend of female dominance.

He clinched the grand prize of a N10 million educational grant, to be used for his future studies at any African higher institution of his choice.

An elated Ebunoluwa expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am incredibly grateful and overwhelmed. This competition has shown me that passion and hard work truly pay off. It has been an amazing journey that has deepened my love for writing and expressing my ideas.”

The competition also recognised two other outstanding finalists. Njoku-Kelechi Emerald of Christian International High School, Owerri, emerged second and received a N7.5 million educational grant, while Bayero Fatima Auwal of Cornerstone Montessori Schools, Gudu, Abuja, secured third place with a N5 million educational grant.

In addition to the monetary prizes, all 12 finalists were presented with brand-new laptops and other educational materials, reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to supporting the academic growth of participants beyond the competition stage.

The 2025 edition attracted several thousand entries, with participation extending beyond major cities into rural communities across the country. This broad engagement reflects the competition’s growing relevance and its role in creating equal intellectual opportunities for students regardless of location.

By insisting on handwritten essays and a strict word limit, the NEC continues to promote original thinking, discipline in writing and a renewed appreciation for reading and research among secondary school students.

Speaking at the event, UBA Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, commended the foundation’s 15-year consistency and highlighted the strategic importance of the competition in shaping young minds.

Emphasising the bank’s values and the relevance of the essay theme, he stated, “UBA encourages diversity. Nobody in UBA will ever be judged based on ethnicity, religion, or culture. We see diversity as a strength. In fact, if you get diversity right in Africa, you have gotten the whole world right.”

Alawuba praised the finalists for reflecting these ideals in their essays and for demonstrating how young Nigerians can build unity through understanding and collaboration.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, reiterated that education remains central to the foundation’s mission and Africa’s future.

“For 15 years, this initiative has been a cornerstone of our commitment to giving back and empowering the youth. We are investing in the academic future of these brilliant minds and, by extension, in the future of our continent. Education remains the most powerful tool to lift our continent, and we are thrilled to see this programme snowballing across Africa,” she stated.

She added that the 2025 theme — “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”, was selected to engage students in conversations about unity and nation-building.

“This year’s topic is particularly crucial as it tasks them to look at our country’s greatest asset, which is our diversity, and devise ways to leverage it for unity, growth, and national development. We believe the young minds of today hold the key to a more harmonious and prosperous Nigeria,” she stated.

Atta said the increase underscores the foundation’s dedication to youth empowerment. “For well over a decade, the National Essay Competition has provided a vital platform for our secondary school students to express their ideas and showcase their intellectual prowess. In fact, parents and pupils have come to look forward to the NEC as they keep calling to ask about the commencement,” she said.

The UBA Foundation noted that the NEC remains central to its goal of nurturing intellectual capacity, encouraging critical thinking and rekindling the reading culture among Nigerian youths across the country.

Captions

Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba; Winner, 2025 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and Student of Igando Community Senior High School, Igando, Lagos, Master Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimelehin; and Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, during the grand finale of the 2025 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition (NEC) for Senior School Students in Nigeria held at UBA House, Lagos…recently

Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Oliver Alawuba; 1st Runner up, 2025 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and Student of Christian International High School, Owerri, Emerald Njokwu Kelechi; Winner, and student of Igando Community Senior High School, Igando, Lagos, Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimelehin;  2nd Runner up, & student of Cornerstone Montessori Schools, Gudu Abuja, Bayero Fatima Auwaland Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta

Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba; 1st Runner up, 2025 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition and Student of Christian International High School, Owerri, Emerald Njokwu Kelechi; Winner, and student of Igando Community Senior High School, Igando, Lagos, Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimelehin;  2nd Runner up, and student of Cornerstone Montessori Schools, Gudu Abuja, Bayero Fatima Auwal; and Managing Director, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta, flanked by finalists of the 2025 UBA Foundation Essay Competition for Senior School Students in Nigeria, during the grand finale of the competition held at UBA House, Lagos, recently .