Lagos@50 Essay Contest Produces Winners

Funmi Ogundare

Miss Omojola Oluwatofunmi of Jakande Estate Comprehensive Senior College, Alimosho has emerged the best essayist at the just concluded Lagos State Schools essay competition ‘Lagos @ 50: Past, Present and Future’.

She defeated 99 other contestants to clinch the trophy. The second position went to Master Oluwasikemi Akinniyi of Lagos State Senior Model College, Igbokuta, while Michael Odeyale of LABASCO Senior College, Agege came third.

In the junior secondary category, Miss Faith Ojerinde of Model College, Kankon; Master Abiola Idowu and Ajayi Testimony emerged first, second and third positions respectively.

Speaking at the grand finale held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja recently, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, said she was impressed by the students’ sense of record of the past, their accurate grasp on the current development of the state by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and their own vision of what future of Lagos they expect in relation to the vision and mission of the current administration.

She said the competition was aimed at discovering and promoting the gift of deep thought and articulate writing skills in students, adding that it would help to convey ideas, communicate philosophy, recall occurrences and peep into the future which is needed in literary works.

She urged the students not to relent in seeking knowledge, adding, “literary giants like Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and the world renowned Chinua Achebe, Femi Osofisan, Ola Rotimi, Ben Okri, and critical thinkers in the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Aminu Kano, Professor Bala Usman, among others, started like them.”

The permanent secretary in an address delivered on his behalf by the Director, Co-curricular, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omobola Babs-Akinyeye, recalled that over the years, essay competition in schools has provided a platform for students to strive for excellence in the art of writing.

“It also availed them the opportunity to discover genius with hidden talents and enhanced their learning skills for education development.”

She said 200 participants representing the best five from each of the 20 education zones registered for the competition; adding that 100 entries from junior and senior secondary schools respectively, wrote the essay, out of which six representing three each for the junior and senior schools were adjudged to be the best in each category.

The winner in the senior category, Omojola, who spoke on behalf of others, thanked the state government for providing the opportunity for them to express themselves literarily and promised that they will continue to do their best in academic pursuit to justify the huge investment of government in the sector.

Omojola, who intends to become a medical doctor, expressed delight about her success while attributing it to her proficiency in writing. “I didn’t expect I would win, though I used my mother’s phone to do research on the topic.”