The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Foundation has awarded scholarships worth millions of naira to five outstanding students at the 2026 edition of its National Essay Competition (NEC), following participation by approximately 13,000 senior secondary school students across Nigeria.

The competition, now in its 16th edition, challenged students to examine national and continental development issues and propose practical solutions to societal problems. This year’s theme was ‘No Nation Can Develop Without Food Security: How Can Nigeria Deal with This Problem?’

At the grand finale held in Lagos, 15-year-old Khaira Ojima Bala of Metro International School, Kubwa, Abuja, emerged first and received a N15 million scholarship, a laptop computer, trophy and certificate.

Otobong Ubong of Topfaith International School, Akwa Ibom State, secured second place with a N10 million scholarship, while Flourish Ndamzi of University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School, Rivers State, came third, receiving N7.5 million.

Udo God’s favour Ezekiel of Federal Government Girls College, Akwa Ibom State, finished fourth and received a N5 million scholarship, while Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, placed fifth with a N3 million scholarship.

Both students also received laptop computers and certificates.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, disclosed that the organisation had increased the number of finalists from 12 to 20 and expanded scholarship awards from three to five beneficiaries.

She said the changes were introduced to extend educational opportunities to more Nigerian students and increase the competition’s reach beyond its previous scope.

According to Atta, the initiative has recorded significant growth since it began 15 years ago, evolving from a Nigeria-focused programme into a continental competition that currently attracts students from seven African countries annually.

She disclosed that the foundation was working towards expanding participation to 20 African countries to give more young people opportunities to strengthen their intellectual abilities and contribute solutions to societal challenges.

“The foundation is working towards extending the competition to 20 African countries to provide more young people with opportunities to develop their intellectual abilities and contribute to addressing societal challenges”, the CEO stated

Atta explained that increasing the number of finalists was not solely about expanding scholarship opportunities. It was also intended to expose more students to the educational and developmental benefits of the programme.

She identified critical and analytical thinking, interaction with students from different parts of Nigeria and the development of lasting friendships as some of the additional benefits participants gained from the competition.

The foundation’s CEO further revealed that UBA Foundation had invested almost N3 billion in the Nigerian competition over the past 16 years, alongside additional investments across its operations in other African countries.

Describing education as one of the foundation’s central pillars, Atta emphasised its importance in addressing poverty and improving individual and community development.

“Education is the best form of poverty eradication that exists. Without education, it is very difficult to get out of this cycle,” she said.

She added that educating a child creates benefits that extend beyond the individual, positively affecting the family and the wider community.

Addressing the rationale behind the 2026 competition theme, Atta said it was selected to encourage participants to examine pressing national and continental issues critically and develop independent positions supported by practical solutions.

She also disclosed that the foundation discouraged students from depending on Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to produce their essays, explaining that the competition was designed to promote independent reasoning and analytical thinking.

Atta congratulated all 20 finalists, describing each participant as a winner regardless of their final position.

In his remarks, UBA Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, reiterated the bank’s commitment to supporting education and investing in the future of young Africans.

He pledged that UBA would sustain its backing for the foundation’s National Essay Competition, describing the initiative as more than a corporate social responsibility programme.

Alawuba said the bank regarded education and youth development as important avenues for contributing to Africa’s future, adding that investing in young people remained essential to the continent’s transformation.

According to him, the competition has continued for 16 years and expanded beyond Nigeria, with plans to extend its reach to additional African countries, including South Africa.

“the competition, which has been sustained for 16 years, has grown beyond Nigeria, with plans underway to extend its reach to more African countries, including South Africa.

Alawuba assured participants and stakeholders of the bank’s continued support while revealing plans to explore additional ways of increasing the programme’s impact.

Among the proposed initiatives are capacity-building workshops designed to equip teachers with the knowledge required to guide students in using Artificial Intelligence responsibly.

He noted that the growing influence of AI in education had raised concerns about originality and students’ ability to demonstrate independent thinking.

The proposed training would therefore help teachers understand the appropriate and inappropriate applications of AI and enable them to guide students in developing their intellectual capabilities.

Alawuba stressed that the competition was intended to achieve more than producing essays or rewarding outstanding participants. He said it also sought to build confidence, improve critical thinking and connect young people to opportunities and networks capable of broadening their perspectives.

Presenting the judges’ assessment report on behalf of the panel, Ini Uko, a Professor of English at the University of Uyo, raised concerns about the increasing use of AI-generated content, plagiarism and multiple submissions among participants.

Uko, who represented three other professors of English, disclosed that between 35 and 40 per cent of the submitted essays displayed characteristics associated with content generated by AI applications, including ChatGPT and other large language models.

She explained that the competition was organised in two stages to strengthen literacy, critical reasoning and effective writing skills among young Nigerians.

“The first-stage essay topic, ‘No Nation Can Develop Without Food Security: How Can Nigeria Deal with This Problem?’, was deliberately chosen to test students’ understanding of the relationship between national development, agriculture,  economic policy, climate change, youth unemployment and food systems”, the don stressed.

SOURCE:THISDAYLIVE