Akoki Mojolaoluwa has emerged winner of the 2023 Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) Essay Competition.
The competition, which draws participants across the secondary schools in the state, is part of the activities to mark literary icon and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka’s birthday (July 13), as it has been the practice since 2010.
A statement by the organisers said the 2023 edition of the contest marks the 14th edition of the annual youth mentoring and mental capacity development initiative.
“The 2023 edition of the competition focused on Nation Building, Good Governance, and National Development.”
This year, the organisers said, a record number of 111 entries were received from 50 schools, out of which a panel of literary and social workers selected 89 finalists.
The contest, they said, required contestants to explore Wole Soyinka’s Humanism, Artistry, and Nationalism in their thought processes and writing.
At the end of the exercise, the organisers announced Akoki Mojolaoluwa, a Senior Secondary School (SS) 2 student of Adedokun International School, Ifo, Ogun State, as the winner of the grand prize while Olugbenga Mojolaoluwa of Salawu Abiola Comprehensive School, Abeokuta, emerged as the first runner-up, and Ezima Margaret of Anglican Girls Grammar School emerged as the second runner-up.
According to the Executive Producer of the annual competition, Teju Kareem:
“We thank all schools and students for their participation and remain committed to our goal of fostering unity, bolstering integrity, and instilling qualities of good leadership as values.”
It enables the young ones to engage in healthy dialogue about national and international issues, testing the creativity and intelligence of the participants and building their self-esteem.”
About Professor Wole Soyinka
Born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in 1934 as the second of his parent’s seven children, Mr. Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and activist.
The Nobel Laureate has written over 30 plays, many essays, and poetry collections. He also has to his credit memoirs, novels, and short stories, among others.
