Mike Okonkwo @80: Essay Winners to Get More Cash Prizes 

Submission of entries for the 20th Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary School Students in Nigeria commenced on Monday, March 17 and is expected to close on June 20.

The organisers said that this year’s edition, which is part of activities marking the 80th birthday of the Presiding Bishop of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr. Mike Okonkwo, promises to be exciting, with the increase of cash prizes for the best three students.

A statement by TREM’s spokesperson, Rev. Anthony Samuel, noted that the theme of this year’s competition is ‘The Nigeria of our Dreams: Today’s Reality and a Responsible Pathfinder’.

Last year’s theme was ‘Nigeria’s Pathways: Diagnosis and The Prescriptions’; in 2023, the theme was Nigerianization of Nigerians: A Look Inward’; while the theme of the 2022 essay was ‘2023 Election: A New Nigeria or a Descent into Chaos’. 

To participate, Samuel stated that interested students must submit an essay of 1,200 words, along with their full name, address, telephone number, school name, class, and the principal’s telephone number.

He added that all essays should be submitted in Word document format via email to essay@trem.org.

He described this year’s competition as a special edition, so the first prize winner will receive a N1 million cash prize, a laptop and a plaque. The winner’s school will also receive a desktop computer and a trophy. He said that the first runner-up will get N600,000, a laptop and a plaque, while the school will also receive a desktop computer. The second runner-up will get N400,000, a laptop and a plaque, while the school will get a desktop computer.

Samuel stated that the competition is part of Mike Okonkwo’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, aimed at fostering critical thinking and analytical skills in students to prepare them for success.

Samuel added that in his commitment to nation-building, Okonkwo established the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture in 2000 to address the nation’s key challenges and propose meaningful solutions.

“Over time, the lecture has become a key platform for influencing government policy, bringing together distinguished individuals to discuss pressing national issues,” said Samuel. “The Mike Okonkwo Essay Competition was birthed from this platform, and both events culminate on the same day, with the essay topic aligning with the theme of the annual lecture.”