Telecommunications service provider, 9mobile, has announced winners of its inaugural essay competition on the environment.
The contest, which was open to government senior secondary school students in Abuja, is designed to encourage young people to think critically about environmental issues and raise awareness about protection and sustainability.
With the theme, ‘How Is Overpopulation Becoming a Global Pandemic to the Environment?’ the competition attracted participation from over 60 schools.
After careful review and evaluation, Chidera Ukwuoma from Government Secondary School, Dutse, emerged first place winner; Emmanuella Chiemeke from Government Secondary School, Kubwa, came second, while Favour Egwu of Government Secondary School, Kurudu, placed third.
In a statement, yesterday, Executive Director of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Abdulrahman Ado, lauded participants for their hard work, while congratulating the winners on their outstanding performance.
Represented by the Public Relations Lead, Chineze Amanfo, the ED said the telecoms firm was impressed with the quality of submissions.
“We believe that the competition has succeeded in encouraging young people to think critically about environmental issues. We hope it has inspired them to take action to protect the planet. We also commend the commitment and support from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Education Secretariat, Abuja,” he said.
Director of Science, Technology and Vocational Education, Ramatu Habu, representing Director of Science, Technology, and Innovations, commended 9mobile for putting together the contest, which has not only increased the writing skills and creativity of the students, but also enhanced their research potential.
She said the pupils were able to go in-depth, sourcing for educational materials to effectively defend their arguments.
“We hope this competition will inspire other students to explore this topic further and contribute to the ongoing conversation,” she added.
The star prize winner, Ukwuoma, thanked 9mobile and the FCT Secretariat for providing participants with the opportunity to prove themselves.
“I think, someday, I will impact other people’s lives as well. Before this competition, I was not aware of the consequences of overpopulation as a global pandemic, but now I am better enlightened, and I would like to inform others as well,” she said.
The essays were evaluated by a panel of renowned education experts based on originality, clarity of expression, depth of research and relevance to the competition’s theme. The top 10 winners received prizes and were recognised at the telecoms firm’s office in Abuja.
