Category: Education & Innovation

Winners have emerged in the second edition of Rising Star Creative Writing Competition [2017] involving pupils from various primary and secondary schools in the country.

Junior Category

• Nine-year old Peter Adobamen of Corona School, Ikoyi, emerged overall winner
• Valerie Akpobome of St. Saviours School, Ikoyi emerged second position winner
• Ogunsipe Oluwadamilola Emmanuella of Livingsprings Schools, Awoyaya, Lagos emerged third position winner

Six pupils won honourable mention prizes in the junior category. They are Demilade Toluhi, Tofunmi Bankole, Racheal Unachukwu, Olafiore Olamuyiwa, Okpalaoka Chizuru and Chidinma Dominic.

Senior Category

• Kolom Oden-Ikpi of Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, Lagos emerged overall winner
• Nkpolara Adrina of Louisville College, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State clinched the second position
• Pelemo Nyajo of Starville School, Abuja, took the third place prize.

In the senior category, four students, namely Chidera Anaeze, Aremu Oladimeji, Aboloko Oghnenejite and Itafame Esseoghene also won the honourable mention prizes.

The competition, sponsored by Writers Corner, a non-governmental organisation, recorded entries from pupils, drawn from various schools.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation and coordinator of the competition, Uche Udoji:

“Just like in the previous year, the second edition was keenly contested as there were many wonderful and incisive entries from children in different schools across the country.”

Udoji listed some of the criteria used in assessing contestants to include the writer’s ability to humanise nature, the extent to which the work relates and affects the human person; the beauty, flow and rhythm of language; poetic license and tone for poetry entrants; structure and organisation of work; format and style as well as spelling and appropriate use of punctuation marks.

The event is an annual children’s creative writing competition organised by the Writers Corner in collaboration with Vuvuzela Communication Limited,  to help in the development of their writing skills. Sponsors of the competition include; Greenlife Pharmaceuticals and the Bank of Industry & Tripplesea Group.

The Central Committee of the Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA), has awarded cash prizes to winners of the Youth Project and Essay Competition at De-Renaissance Hotel, Alausa-Ikeja, Lagos.

Organised by AgroNigeria in May this year, the objective of the initiative was to crystallise the interest of young Nigerians towards agriculture for the overall development of the nation.

Continue reading Winners of 2017 Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA)

Ifeoma Chinenye Onuike, has clinched first class from Law faculty of Girne American University in Cyprus; graduating as the best graduating student with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.99/4.00 after acing all her courses from her first year through her fourth year.

25-year-old Ifeoma Chinenye Onuike had her early education in Infant Jesus Nursery and Primary School Kubwa, Freedom Academy Nursery and Primary school Kubwa and L.E.A. Primary School Kubwa, all in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. Her secondary education was at Government Secondary School Kubwa Abuja, Government Secondary School Nakere, Nassarawa state.

Continue reading Ifeoma Chinenye Onuike 3.99

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been honoured with a Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The award was presented to her at the university’s St Cecilia’s Hall, which happens to be Scotland’s oldest concert hall, by the university’s Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea,

“in recognition of Ms Adichie’s achievements as an author and public intellectual.”

In appreciation of the honour, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said:

“It is lovely to be in this place, which is hallowed. I feel very fortunate to be included among the people who have been honoured with a degree from this University”.

The Board of Regents, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, has appointed 32-year old Dr. Azubuike Ezenwoke as the new Registrar of the University. This makes Dr. Azubuike Ezenwoke arguably the youngest university Registrar in Africa.

Continue reading Landmark University Appoints Azubuike Ezenwoke As Registrar [2017]

Tioluwani Comfort has emerged the 2017 best graduating student with distinction in Law (LLM) at University of Wales, United Kingdom. She is a graduate of the University of Abuja where she got her first degree in law.

According to Tioluwani Comfort:

“I attribute my success to the Lord Jesus Christ because nobody receives anything on earth except it be given to him from heaven because in all fairness, I never expected that I would graduate with a distinction in LLM Law let alone graduate as the best student. Romans 9:16: “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

I cannot claim that I read a lot but I can claim that I prayed a lot to achieve this. Thus I attribute this success to Jesus, who is the lifter of my head. The prayers of my parents also went a long way to make this happen. It symbolises the fact that Jesus still answers prayers. Also, faith in God with hard work pays.”

Winners have emerged in the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) Competition tagged: Ennovate Naija.
Eight contestants that made the grand finale were tested on originality, feasibility, innovation, articulation, self-confidence, intellectual capacity and stage of development of idea.

• Charles Atere won the top prize of ₦350,000.
• Odunayo Adesokan and Ayoola Ogunlowo emerged second and third respectively with cash prize of ₦300,000 each.
• Ibukunoluwa Aina and  Sulaimon Bello also emerged winners with ₦250,000 respectively.

The Managing Director, NIBSS, Mr. Adebisi Shonubi said that the initiative came as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy on cash-based transactions which stipulated a cash handling charge on daily cash withdrawals.

In his statement:
“The policy is aimed at reducing the amount of physical cash circulating, encouraging more electronic-based transactions (payments for goods, services, transfers, etc.) and to drive financial inclusion by providing more efficient transaction options and greater reach.
It is also aimed at developing and modernising the Nigerian payment system.”

He further explained that as a proactive measure to solve some of the challenge, NIBSS conceived the idea of organising an online crowd sourced contest Ennovate Naija, aimed at generating innovative ideas to drive the policy and generate solutions to overcome the present challenges.
Shonubi also pointed out that the initiative is an online contest to stimulate innovation amongst Nigerians and generate ideas on ways to enhance e-payment in Nigeria.
He further added that the contest is open to Nigerians with no age restrictions, and winners will be rewarded with cash prizes for the best 5 ideas.
The winners, in addition will be given exposure to investors who could help move their ideas forward.