The UBA Foundation has awarded a N15 million educational grant to 15-year-old Khaira Ojima Bala. She emerged winner of the 16th National Essay Competition, beating more than 15,000 entries from secondary school students across Nigeria. The award highlights the Foundation’s growing investment in education and young people’s intellectual development.
Bala, a student of Metro International School, Abuja, received the top prize during the competition’s grand finale. The ceremony took place on Tuesday at UBA House, Marina, Lagos, attracting finalists, parents, teachers, students and judges. Her grant will support university education at any institution of her choice in Africa.
UBA Foundation Increases Essay Competition Grants to N41m
Bala dedicated her victory to her parents, acknowledging their sacrifices towards her education. She also thanked the UBA Foundation for providing young people with a platform to express their ideas and demonstrate their abilities.
Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School emerged second, receiving N10 million. Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School placed third, winning N7.5 million.
God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, finished fourth with N5 million. Meanwhile, Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, placed fifth, receiving N3.5 million.
The five awards form part of a N41 million grant package announced for this year’s competition. This represents an 82 per cent increase from the N22.5 million awarded in the previous edition. The increase followed the expansion of the number of winners from three to five and higher individual grants.
Khaira Bala Emerges from Over 15,000 Entries
The 20 finalists emerged from more than 15,000 submissions by senior secondary school students nationwide. Participants addressed the topic: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?”
The finalists also participated in a one-day writing boot camp organised with the competition’s judges. The session provided an opportunity to strengthen their writing skills and engage with experienced professionals.
In addition to the major grants, all 20 finalists received modern laptops to support their academic work and research. Their UBA accounts were also credited with N20,000 each as a token of appreciation from the bank’s Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba.
Alawuba: Finalists Are All Winners
Speaking at the ceremony, UBA Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, congratulated the finalists. He urged them to recognise their selection as evidence of what hard work, curiosity and determination could achieve.
“You were selected from more than 15,000 students, and you earned this place through your hard work, your curiosity and your determination. We do this because we believe in the future of this continent, and the best investment we can make in that future is in our youth,” Alawuba said.
He described the competition as part of the bank’s wider commitment to Africa’s development. He also explained that the increased grants reflected the rising cost of education and the financial pressure facing families.
“As inflation increases and it becomes more difficult to see a child through school, we have raised the amounts to make sure these students get to school. For us, that is important,” he said.
Alawuba further disclosed that the Foundation would consider introducing writing workshops for participating schools. The proposed initiative would help strengthen students’ competence, confidence and critical-thinking abilities.
UBA Foundation Says N3bn Has Gone into Essay Competition
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, thanked parents, teachers and judges for supporting the initiative. She described education as one of the surest investments in Africa’s future.
“Over 16 editions, we have watched our finalists go on to excel in universities and careers across the world, and that is the impact we set out to achieve,” Atta said.
She disclosed that the Foundation had spent more than N3 billion on the competition over 16 years. According to her, increasing the number of winners and the value of the grants would enable more students to pursue university education without significant financial pressure.
The UBA Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa. Its National Essay Competition began in Nigeria in 2011 and has since expanded into other African countries where the bank operates.
Beyond education, the Foundation supports initiatives in healthcare, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. Its latest competition grants reinforce its commitment to developing young talent and expanding educational opportunities across Africa.
