Nigeria needs to deliberately introduce and follow a guidance scheme for the education and development of the teenage population, stakeholders in the education sector have said.

Education enthusiasts lamented that most teenagers had been left to determine their fate without proper guidance from schools or parents, leaving many of them to engage in practices that are largely detrimental to their present and future aspirations.

According to the stakeholders, teenagers now share and consume posts on social media which are not healthy and which do not represent a befitting good image, largely because they lack proper guidance and counselling at home and school.

“The sad situation has been worsened by the larger society, which supports the unguided teenagers. Corporate organisations are quick to sponsor unhealthy activities by teenagers for their company’s selfish gains, rather than sponsor their academic pursuits and related activities. They sponsor exhibitions of nudity and immorality involving teenagers, which is cancerous not only to the teenagers themselves but to the society at large,” the Chairman of Kehinde Olesin Foundation, Mr. Babajide Olesin, stated.

Olesin and other stakeholders aired their views at the Grand Finale of the Fifth Teens Think International Essay Competition held in Ikeja, Lagos.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Teens Think International Competition, Mr. Adeboye Adeyemi, also lamented that teenagers were not given proper and adequate guidance, explaining that the essay contest was introduced to correct the anomaly by filling the gaps.

He recalled that Teens Think started officially five years ago, after the organisers had already spent one year planning.

“So, we can say Teens Think has been on for six years now. The conception is a fusion of many ideas. I and my company, Hansol Geonetworks Nigeria Limited, a training, research and consulting organisation, is a major stakeholder in the Teens Think project.

“My company was to do a Corporate Social Responsibility. We were planning to focus on university education, but then the founder of Teens Think, Mrs. Kehinde Olesin, sadly, now late, came into the picture. She had a similar idea but with a focus on secondary education. We discussed, and a fusion of ideas happened, and Teens Think was born.”

He said, “Yes, the vision is still on course. In terms of performance and deliverables, maybe we are flying below our intended height after five years, and that is because of the state of our country. We had challenges with funding and getting sponsors to key into our vision.”

He, however, added that the organisers had remained resolute and would keep the competition going despite challenges.
He said the Teens Think Competition would take teenagers’ minds away from unhealthy platforms and give them a befitting platform to hone their skills and express themselves.

The 2025 competition, with the theme ‘Humanity and Artificial Intelligence’, took months of different stages and shortlisting before the finalists converged on the Radisson Blu Hotel for their final presentations.

At the end of the exercise, Opabiyi Josephine of Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, Model Secondary School, emerged first with 82 points; Eniola Kananfo of Ota Total Academy, Ota, Ogun State, emerged second with 81 points; while Oghenerugba Akpabor‑Okoro of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos, emerged third with 80 points.

Last year’s winners were also recognised and presented plaques, inaugurating them as ambassadors of the Teens Think International Essay Competition.

Last year’s winners, now ambassadors of Teens Think, are: Aboyeji Toluwanimi Elizabeth of FUNAAB International School, Abeokuta (First Position); Otitodilichukwu Ofulue of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos (Second Position); and Owoeye Ayomide of Advanced Breed Comprehensive, Lagos (Third Position).

A special guest at the event, Dr. Celestine Achi, who is an AI educator and instructor at Cihan Media Communications, spoke on the best way to deploy AI.

He identified what he called ‘Prompt Engineering’ as key to AI usage.

“Prompt engineering has become a highly in-demand skill set that even developers are falling heads on to learn,” he said, stressing that the skill was necessary because it leads to excellent outcomes.
He cautioned against adverse comments about AI, saying AI could be a great thing to happen to humanity if used ethically.
“If you are not able to give AI a perfect role and enable it to assume that role, then you have not started.

You need to tell AI, for instance, that it is a creative writer. By doing so, you have given it a role. You can take a second step by giving AI the topic on what to write about. Then you give it a specific task. For example, you tell AI to write an article, using the narrative or explanatory format, and other specific instructions,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, an executive with the Teens Think International Essay Competition, Mr. David Olesin, congratulated the students for making it to the final stage of the competition.

“Your commitment to exploring the evolving relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence is truly commendable. Through your essays, you have offered profound insights, forward-thinking ideas, and a deeper understanding of the ethical, social, and technological dimensions shaping our shared future,” he told the participants.

“This year, our achievements have been exemplified by the overwhelming response of over 200 entries hailing from 100 schools,” he said.

He acknowledged the sponsors that made the event possible, among whom were Coronation Insurance, Slot System Limited, Tulcan Energy, Hansol Geonetworks, Radisson Blu, Fortknox, MTN, Viju, Multichoice, Nigerian Breweries, Dufil Prima, STL Trustees Limited, NAJCOM, and Ly-Wunmi School.

The event was spiced up with electrifying performances by Ayangbemisola, Demilade Adepegba (The Bold One), and Young T.

Teens Think was founded by Mrs. Kehinde Olesin, who passed last year. Speakers at the event, including the Osun State Permanent Secretary of Women Affairs, Children, and Social Welfare, Abimbola Babatunde, applauded her vision, foresight, and legacy.