Winners of the Mike Okonkwo Annual Essay Competition For Nigerian Secondary Schools were honoured at the 23rd Annual Lecture held at Muson Center, Onikan Lagos at the weekend.
The Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture and The National Essay Competition were part of the birthday celebrations of the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr. Mike Okonkwo.
Beyond the celebration, the essay competition was established to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Nigerian educational sector. For 19 years, Dr. Okonkwo has remained committed to this cause, using his God-given talents, strength, and resources to bless the younger generation in their pursuit of academic excellence.
By encouraging students to develop strong reading and writing habits, Dr. Okonkwo, a man of faith who believes in the holistic development of humanity, has made significant strides in achieving his vision through the institutionalisation of the National Essay Competition.
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For emerging first at the competition, Miss Flourish Olaoye of Christ the King International School, Gbagada, Lagos, received a cheque of N500, 000, a trophy and a plaque, while her school was awarded a set of computers.
Nora Femi-Lawal of Chrisland High School, Lekki, who secured second place, received a cheque for N250, 000 and a plaque, with her school also receiving a set of computers.
For placing third in this year’s competition, Miss Olayimika Esther Durotimi of Corona Secondary School, Agbara was awarded a cheque for N150, 000, a plaque, and a computer set for her school. The remaining finalists received a consolation prize of N50, 000 each.
To clinch first place, Flourish Olaoye scored 73 percent in the final round of the competition; Nora Femi-Lawal of Chrisland High School, Lekki, scored 64.5% while Olayimika Esther Durotimi of Corona Secondary School, Agbara, scored 61 percent to emerge third.
L-R: Chief Examiner, Mike Okonkwo Annual Essay Competition, Prof Akachi Ezigbo; 2nd place winner of Mike Okonkwo Annual Essay Competition, Nora Femi-Lawal of Chrisland High School, Lekki; Chairman of the Occasion, Mr. Atedo Peterside; Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Dr. Mike Okonkwo; First Position, Flourish Olaoye; Bishop Peace Okonkwo and third Position Olayimika Esther Durotimi of Corona Secondary School, Agbara during the presentation of prizes to winners at the 23rd Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture, held at Muson Center, Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Examiner of the competition, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo said her team received 551 entries this year and as usual used quality control instruments such as Google search machine, Turnitin plagiarism detector and their own eagle eyes to scrutinise each essay for plagiarism, copyright infringements, unhedged AI assistance and other integrity infractions.
She explained further that feedback enabled them to weed out 341 essays that showed direct evidence of infractions. “Apart from the eight participants invited to the second and validation round of the competition, others fell below quality threshold of 50 percent.
“Only seven, turned up and we tested their familiarity with current events by asking them to produce essays on the topic “Protest Against Misgovernance: The Gains and the Pain.”
Prof Ezeigbo explained further that they responded to the challenge by producing intriguing extempore descriptions and analyses of everyday life as they observe it in contemporary Nigeria and elsewhere.
“For the records, however, we must mention that AI apps like ChatGPT, Google Assistant and Gemini and online commercial writers who generate essays and sell to students, have become normal features of our educational system.
“But as we can no longer avoid them, we must learn to cope with them and through vigilance, find ways of mitigating their negative effects on knowledge production, she said.
Thanking Bishop Mike Okonkwo for giving them the opportunity to be part of this epochal process of talent development of young people, Prof Ezeigbo said the seven students are a glimmer of hope despite the course that scientific advancement is taking at this time.
“They have used their hearts and their heads to engage with issues within the ambit of knowledge production methodologies. They are the ones who through original thinking, generate the content on which technology leeches. We must therefore encourage them, as Bishop Okonkwo is doing to sharpen their thinking and critical skills, by acknowledging their contributions and rewarding their efforts.
Delivering the lecture entitled: Nigeria’s Pathways: Diagnosis and the prescriptions, the guest speaker, Barr. Kanu Agabi urged Nigerians to do the needful by uniting to develop the nation.
“I dare say that no economic theories, no political theories, no legal theories are going to save the nation until we repent and admit that we are all implicated in the downfall of the nation and do whatever we can to help.
“We are seeking solutions in the wrong places and we are not going to find solutions from the economists or the philosophers or the judges or the police. We must as a nation, first seek God’s kingdom and its righteousness and then all these other things shall be added unto us.”
He thanked Bishop Okonkwo in whose honour the lecture was held adding that aside this, he also award prizes to winners of the essay competition instituted by him.
“This is the kind of work of charity that the nation needs at this time because more than at any other time in the history of our country, this is the time to be our brother’s keeper.
“However, there is an acute shortage of good Samaritans and to come across men and women like Bishop Mike Okonkwo, who are offering consolation to countless thousands is very encouraging. It is people like Bishop Okonkwo who give the nation hope,” he stated.
In his remarks, the celebrant who turned 79th congratulated winners of the essay competition adding that education in the country must be beyond certification but encompasses hands on the job.
He encouraged all Nigerians to do the right thing in order to develop the nation. “In your little corner, there is the need to give your support and contribution to develop our nation.
He called for deliberate effort in training Nigerians on patriotism as this will enhance nation building.
The Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition launched in 2004 has sparked a heightened interest in research, extensive reading, and constructive writing among participating students. In addition to rekindling a passion for reading and writing, the competition provides students with a platform to express their views on crucial issues, impacting the socio-economic development of our nation.
It has also played a role in advancing ICT development in secondary schools, particularly within government-owned institutions. Winners from both government and private schools have been consistently rewarded with both in-kind and cash gifts.
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