The top three winners of this year’s Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition have been presented with their prizes.
They are Agburum Clinton Chimenem of Deeper Life High School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State (first prize); Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa of Holyland Senior College, Ipaja, Lagos (second prize); and Oloruntimilehin Elijah Oladipo of Isolo Comprehensive Senior High School, Lagos (third prize).
The awards were presented during the 2026 Bishop Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture series held recently in Lagos.
The overall winner received ₦800,000, a trophy, and a laptop, while the first and second runners-up walked away with ₦500,000 and ₦400,000 respectively, alongside a laptop each.
Their respective schools were also awarded a desktop computer each for producing the top-performing students.
The Competition is organised and sponsored by Dr Mike Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM).
As part of the cleric’s contribution to the nation’s educational development, the annual competition is free and open to all secondary school students across Nigeria.
The final three winners beat out over 1,000 applicants to claim the top spots.
Participants in the 2026 final stage tackled the topic: “Is AI the Future or the End of Education?”
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Speaking at the ceremony, which marks the 25th in the series, the Chief Examiner of the competition, Prof.essor Akachi Ezeigbo, explained that the winning essays successfully demonstrated how AI has become a valuable tool for learning.
She noted that the students highlighted how AI is reshaping various fields — including medicine, geography, entertainment, and politics — while making life easier and work more efficient.
Prof. Ezeigbo congratulated the three winners on their exemplary performance and urged them to remain committed to their academic pursuits.
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