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Reading Culture Among Youths: UBA Foundation Commences 2024 National Essay Competition

Published

1 year ago

October 19, 2024

Eric

UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2024 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC) with a Call for Entries in Nigeria.

Now in its 14th year, the annual National Essay Competition (NEC) is part of the UBA Foundation’s education initiative aimed at championing literacy and encouraging intellectual development among senior secondary school students across Nigeria and the African continent.

The 2024 edition will see increased participation from senior secondary school students across Nigeria as they can conveniently submit their entries from the comfort of their homes or schools via the UBA Foundation NEC digital submission portal at www.ubagroup.com/uba-foundation/national-essay-competition

The essay topic for the call for entries is “Discuss the Impact of Carbon Emission on Climate in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions”. Students are expected to properly research, write, scan and upload their handwritten essays to the digital portal on or before November 8, 2024.

The essays will be graded by renowned English professors who will then select the best 75 entries, which will be rewarded with N75,000 cash. A second competition will be held across four regions in Nigeria – Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Port Harcourt where the 75 candidates will compete to be one of the 20 finalists. These 20 finalists will thereafter write a third essay where the top three will be selected.

The Foundation has also announced a substantial increase in educational grants as the first-place winner will receive N7.5 million to study at any African university of their choice, while the second and third-place winners will receive N5 million and N3.5 million, respectively.

The Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who spoke ahead of the flag-off of this year’s completion, noted that despite the current global economic challenges, UBA Foundation remains steadfast in their commitment to educational excellence by significantly increasing the grant prizes this year

“We are aware of what families and parents are going through especially in the face of the current economic climate in Nigeria, and by raising the first-place prize to N7.5 million, with N5 million and N3.5 million for second and third places respectively, we are making a bold statement about our dedication to African education. The increase in grant prizes reflect our understanding of the rising costs of quality education and our determination to ensure that exceptional students can pursue their academic dreams without financial constraints.” Atta said

Apart from the 75 best essays, the 20 finalists will go home with brand new Laptops and other educational tools to help them with their studies and other tertiary research work. Also, the teachers of the school with the highest number of entries will be rewarded.

Atta pointed out that professors from leading Nigerian universities will serve as judges to evaluate the entries at all levels, to ensure fairness and transparency.

Speaking on the foundation’s unwavering commitment to development across Africa, Bola Atta, reiterated that NEC is a testament to UBA Foundation’s broader education initiatives, which include the ‘Read Africa’ program, which has distributed hundreds of thousands of books to students across the continent.

“The competition stands as a beacon of our commitment to nurturing Africa’s next generation of leaders and thinkers,” Atta said. “Through initiatives like this and our ‘Read Africa’ program, we’re not just promoting literacy; we’re investing in the intellectual capital that will shape Africa’s future”

The National Essay Competition has been rolled out in other African countries where UBA operates, in order to open up the opportunity for more African children to benefit from the educational grants.

UBA Foundation embodies the UBA Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. Through its Education pillar, the Foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths. Its National Essay Competition has also afforded the opportunity to hundreds of students to improve their lives through higher education.

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

17 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

22 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.