13-year-old Seth Wins UBA National Essay Competition

A 13-year-old Senior Secondary School 2 student, Seth Ebunoluwa of Igando Community Senior High School, Lagos, has emerged winner of the 2025 United Bank for Africa (UBA) National Essay Competition, becoming the first male student to clinch the top prize in eight years.

Winning the first prize of a N10 million educational grant, he emerged as the top finalist from over 120,000 entries received from all parts of the country.

Emerald Njoku-Kelechi, a 15-year-old girl from Christian International High School in Imo State, emerged second, taking home a N7.5 million educational grant. At the same time, 14-year-old Fatima Auwa Bayer of Cornerstone Montessori School in Abuja won third prize of N5 million.
Speaking at the finale of the 15th NEC, the group managing director of UBA, Oliver Alawuba, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to empowering African youths through sustained investment in education.

He stressed that UBA remains driven by its belief that Africa’s greatest resource lies in its young population. According to him, the bank’s long-term focus on youth development is anchored on the conviction that education is the most potent tool for transforming the continent.

“Africa has an enormous number of young people, and they are being educated across the continent. If we focus on the youth and empower them with knowledge, they will get Africa out of its present circumstances. The future belongs to Africa, and within Africa, the future belongs to the youth.”
Alawuba noted that UBA had raised the stakes by increasing the grant for the first-place winner to N10 million. He explained that the enhancement of the prize money is not merely symbolic but reflects the bank’s broader commitment to long-term investment in human capital.

“We are not just increasing the prize. We are investing in our youth. If we continue to invest in them, Africa will rise to its rightful position as the next global frontier. Education pays the highest dividend, and the youth have shown that once given a chance, they will take Africa to the next level.”

On her part, the chief executive of the UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, noted that the competition, which began in Nigeria 15 years ago, has since spread to Ghana and Senegal. According to her, the plan is to reach all 30 countries in Africa where UBA has a presence. “Actually, what we’re trying to do is get it out to more countries every year. We want to increase the number of countries.

“So far, we have it rolled out in six African countries. We have a goal for 2026, to have this in 10 or 15 African countries. What we want to do is spread the movement of educating our youth and increasing literacy among African youths.

We are moving towards eradicating poverty. So we want to make this stronger. We aim to collaborate with ministries of education across the African continent to support the implementation of specific regulations and initiatives that will promote reading culture among African youth.