UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2024 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC) with a Call for Entries in Nigeria.
According to the bank, the annual National Essay Competition (NEC), now in its 14th year, is part of the UBA Foundation’s education initiative to champion literacy and encourage intellectual development among senior secondary school students across Nigeria and the African continent.
The Foundation said in a statement, “The essay topic for the call for entries is “Discuss the Impact of Carbon Emission on Climate in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions. “Students are expected to properly research, write, scan, and upload their handwritten essays to the digital portal on or before November 8, 2024.
“The essays will be graded by renowned English professors who will select the best 75 entries, rewarded with N75,000 cash.
A second competition will be held across four regions in Nigeria – Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Port Harcourt where 75 candidates will compete to be one of the 20 finalists. These 20 finalists will write a third essay where the top three will be selected.”
Chief executive officer of UBA Foundation Bola Atta, who spoke ahead of this year’s completion, noted that despite the current global economic challenges, the UBA Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to educational excellence, significantly increasing the grant prizes this year.
“We are aware of what families and parents are going through, especially in the face of the current economic climate in Nigeria, and by raising the first-place prize to N7.5 million, with N5 million and N3.5 million for second and third places, respectively, we are making a bold statement about our dedication to African education. The increase in grant prizes reflects our understanding of the rising costs of quality education and our determination to ensure that exceptional students can pursue their academic dreams without financial constraints.”, Atta said.
