South African Airways Rewards Winners of Essay Contest

Stories By Chinedu Eze

South African Airways (SAA) has rewarded winners of two of its yearly sponsored essay contests with an all-expenses paid trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

They include the top three winners of the South African Airways Essay Competition (SAAEC 2022) for Secondary Schools, and the first place winner of the Tertiary Institutions Category of the National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC 2023).    

Winners of SAAEC 2022 include, NgwaoguIfeoluwa Ugochi of Abesan Senior High School, Ipaja, Lagos in 1^st position; AladetohunKamimayo Enoch of St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos in 2^nd position; and OshimadeAbisola Promise of Abiolu Comprehensive College, Igando, Lagos in 3^rd position.

Miss Nwafor Merciful Chika of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka who emerged in first place in the Tertiary Institutions Category of the NTEC 2023 also made the trip together with the Media Partner, Ms. Daisy Barro of Travel & Business News.

Sharing in the excitement of the students, Country Manager of South African Airways, Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefa, said: “Our vision is to impact the lives of the younger generation and encourage them to become leaders and role models of the future.” She therefore urged them to be worthy ambassadors and to always keep their flag of success flying.  

The students proceeded on the trip over four days from January 28 – 31, 2024. On the first day of their visit in Johannesburg, the students had the pleasure of going on a full day Cradle of Humankind Tour where they had the opportunity to experience exhibitions representing human development recorded over the last few million years.

They travelled through time from the Big Bang via evolutionary processes to the world as we know it; through fascinating caves where simulations of pre-historic times were presented with uncanny realism, causing the students to sometimes scream from either fear or glee from the adrenaline-pumping novelty of the experience – an experience which they all agreed they will never forget.   

The second day of this incredible adventure was spent in Soweto. The students were dressed in their school uniforms, in solidarity with the 800 students who lost their lives during the Soweto uprising in June 1976.

On the last day of their stay in Johannesburg, the students had the pleasure of visiting East Rand Mall, where they spent time shopping, taking pictures and generally having a good time.

Speaking about her experience, Ngwaogu Ifeoluwa Ugochi said: “The trip was a lot of fun and it was part of the package for winning the competition. It was so wonderful visiting the cradle of humankind where we learnt so much about the transition from the past to the present and the future. We also went to Soweto and met a lot of people. We really had what they call an experience and it was all thanks to South African Airways.”