Thirteen-year-old Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimilehin, a Senior Secondary School II student at Igando Community Senior High School in Lagos, has emerged the overall winner of the 15th edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition.
While he is the youngest winner in the competition’s history, his triumph also marks a significant milestone as it ends an eight-year streak of female winners.
At the grand finale of the competition held at the UBA Head Office in Lagos on Tuesday, the Oluwatimilehin received a N10 million educational grant which he may apply toward tertiary studies at any African university of his choice.
While the first runner-up, Njoku-Kelechi, an SS2 student of Emerald of Christian International High School, Owerri, received N7.5 million education grant, the second runner-up, Njoku-Kelechi, an SS2 student of Emerald of Christian International High School, Owerri, was awardeN5 million education grant.
Beyond the top prizes, all 12 finalists in the competition were awarded brand-new laptops and other educational resources.
Scope of the competition
The competition, now in its 15th year, invited entries from senior secondary school students across Nigeria.
This year’s theme was: “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”
According to the report of the judges who assessed the entries, over 7,000 entries were received this year, with participation spreading beyond urban centres into rural communities.
They explained that 12 finalists were later selected to sit for the final stage of the competition to write on the topic: “In today’s interconnected world, what must the Nigerian youth do to remain competitive globally in education, business and leadership”?
Comments from Organisers
Oliver Alawuba, Group Managing Director/CEO of United Bank for Africa (UBA), said the competition plays a strategic role in reinvigorating the culture of reading, writing and critical thinking among youth.
He said, “This is one of my favourite days of the year, because it reminds us that the future of Africa is bright – and that it lives right here, in the minds and hearts of our young people. This year, we received thousands of essays from every part of Nigeria – from the bustling cities to the quiet towns, from the North to the South, East, and West.
“Each essay tells a story of hope, creativity, and courage. Each student who picked up a pen has already won – because you chose to think differently. At UBA, our mission goes far beyond banking.
“We believe that Africa will be developed by Africans and that our youths are the greatest resources to develop Africa. Through the UBA Foundation, we invest in lives, dreams, and ideas. Everyone here is a product of the education we received in school, at home or from other platforms.
“We believe that education is the greatest enabler of success – and that every young person deserves a chance to shine, no matter where he or she comes from.”
Also speaking, the Managing Director/CEO of the UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, noted that this year’s prize levels were increased in recognition of rising costs of tertiary education and that the literacy agenda is gaining momentum across underserved regions.
She noted that the NEC which started in Nigeria is now being replicated in other African countries where the United Bank for Africa operates.
“From Nigeria to Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone and beyond, this competition is now replicated in many countries where UBA has presence – uniting Africa’s brightest minds under one dream,” she said.
The jury reports
The over 7,000 entries for the 2025 NEC edition were assessed by a jury of four university professors. They are Professor Sam Onuigbo from University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Professor Emmanuel Omobowale from University of Ibadan, Ibadan; Professor Ini Uko from University of Uyo, Uyo; and Professor Asabe Kabir Usman, from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
The jury observed that although many essays were strong, some submissions exhibited presentation weaknesses, excessive slang and possible use of AI-assistance.
They explained that the entries were evaluated using four parameters of content, expression, organisation and mechanical accuracy, with each carrying 40 marks, 30 marks, 15 marks and 15 marks respectively.
One important observation made by the judges was that, this year there were more Senior Secondary school two students putting in entries than Senior secondary school three students.
This notion played in the list of the 12 finalists where 11 finalists are all in SS2.
The judges noted that the overall quality of essays improved this year, suggesting that students are becoming more aware of the competition’s standards.
“Many entries demonstrated a clear understanding of Nigeria’s ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, while also offering thoughtful, youth-focused solutions for building unity through civic participation, digital engagement, community action and open dialogue,” they said.
They further noted that a number of submissions stood out for their originality, proposing creative ideas such as intercultural school initiatives, stronger national youth platforms and programmes that encourage language exchange.
On the flip side, they noted that many of the weaknesses observed centred on authenticity and analytical depth.
According to them, a significant number of submissions were clearly AI-generated, leading to similar expressions and predictable patterns, adding that several students also produced shallow or surface-level arguments without meaningful critical analysis or relevant examples, while others failed to engage directly with the essay topic, writing on entirely unrelated themes.
The judges explained that many entries would have been stronger had students applied their minds more carefully to the question and supported their views with real-life illustrations or historical context.
They further observed widespread structural and language-related problems, saying numerous essays suffered from poor coherence, spelling errors, sentence fragments, incorrect punctuation, slang, SMS-style casual writing and poorly developed paragraphs.
“Some students submitted their work in formats that violated the rules, such as letters, bulleted notes, subsections, debate-style openings, typed essays or even videos. These deviations from basic essay-writing conventions weakened otherwise promising submissions,” Prof Asabe said while presenting the report.
Significance and Implications
Organisers said that Oluwatimilehin’s victory from a public secondary school reaffirms that age, background and school type need not limit achievement. His success highlights the importance of nurturing writing, critical thinking and intellectual competition among Nigeria’s youth.
Meanwhile, the substantial prize reflects growing investment by the private sector in education and literacy across Africa. Moreover, the attention to essay writing standards and the challenge of AI-assisted work speak to evolving educational dynamics.
