Chinelo Dike Okonkwo has emerged winner of the 2020 Unicaf Nigeria Essay Competition at an awards ceremony held online, on July 3, 2020.
In a statement by Chinelo Dike Okonkwo, the first winner has been awarded a full scholarship for a Master’s degree of her choice with Unicaf University through online delivery and also a cash prize of $300.
The second winner Eze Cornelius Chidiebere was awarded an 80 percent scholarship and also a cash prize of $200. Oyafemi Toluwalese Augustine, the third winner received a 75 percent scholarship for a Master’s degree scholarship and also a free tablet.
The statement also thanked over 500 Bachelor degree holders that took part in the essay competition, “Is online learning the future of education”.
The judging committee in the statement expressed satisfaction with the top three winners and described the essays to be of high overall standard.
The awards ceremony brought together the three winners, members of Unicaf Nigeria team and members of the Unicaf International Marketing team at the Headquarters in Cyprus. In order to contain the Covid 19 disease, it was held via the Zoom application.
The first winner Dike Okonkwo thanked Unicaf and Unicaf University for the opportunity to earn a Masters Degree online at no cost without having to give up work or move away from home.
She added:
“Unicaf’s goal for educating youths in underserved markets has always struck me as a noble initiative.
Now, under Unicaf’s guidance, I am privileged to be a part of a growing number of beneficiaries, who can study for high quality degrees without the financial burden of high fees, that typically comes with such studies.
I would like to tell every person out there, longing to further their educational pursuits, in a bid to accelerate their careers, to keep the faith, without being deterred by challenges and to remain true to themselves and their goals.”
The second winner, Chidiebere while accepting his prize said:
“I feel deeply honoured and elated for this remarkable recognition and the amazing opportunity of a scholarship for an online Master’s degree. I want to extend my gratitude to Unicaf and to the panel of judges that critiqued my work and found it worthy of this great privilege.
Being in the midst of a pandemic, we now understand that the world is at war against Covid-19, and is economically weakened because of lockdowns, which have brought many universities to a stand still….
Now is the time to explore new methods of education and new perspectives, to turn to online education as the solution. The idea of online education is imperative in these challenging times, and we must use it to secure the future of our higher education system and a brighter future for us all.”
The winner of the third prize, Augustine said:
“I would like to thank Unicaf for the wonderful opportunity of helping me to further my education and enhance my CV. My friends and family are also extremely happy for this amazing opportunity. I hope to do my part in proving that Unicaf made the right choice in granting me this opportunity.”
*This news was first copy-edited by Favour Mishirya Nuhu on the 24th of July, 2020 and was last modified by Toju Micheal Ogbe on the 25th of July, 2020.
