Hot SourceNume Ekeghe
UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2025 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC), with grants and prizes worth over N18 million on offer for outstanding students across the country.
Now in its 15th consecutive year, the competition invites senior secondary school students to write on the topic, “Nigeria is characterised by diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions. How can young Nigerians deploy diversity to build a united nation?”
Interested participants are expected to research, write, and submit scanned copies of their handwritten essays through the designated digital portal on or before Friday, October 17, 2025.
In a statement, UBA Foundation explained that the theme was carefully selected to encourage critical thinking among Nigerian youths, while underscoring how diversity could be harnessed as a unifying tool for national development. It added that the competition also serves as a platform to rekindle the reading culture and nurture the intellectual capacity of young Nigerians.
To also deepen its longstanding commitment to education and youth development, the foundation announced a significant increase in its educational grants, with the first-place winner receiving a university grant of N10 million to study at any African university of their choice.
This amount represents a rise by 33 per cent compared to the N7.5 million winning prize last year, while the second-place and third-place winners will be awarded N7.5 million and N5 million grants, respectively, up from N5 million and N3.5 million won last year.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, who underscored the significance of the initiative, stated that young minds had a vital role to play in fostering national cohesion, particularly at a time when unity was most needed in the country.
Atta said, “For well over a decade, the National Essay Competition has provided a vital platform for our secondary school students to express their ideas and showcase their intellectual prowess.
“In fact, parents and pupils have come to look forward to the NEC as they keep calling to ask about the commencement.”
According to her, “This year’s topic is particularly crucial as it tasks them to look at our country’s greatest asset, which is our diversity, and devise ways to leverage it for unity, growth, and national development. We believe the young minds of today hold the key to a more harmonious and prosperous Nigeria.”
Eligible participants must be Nigerian senior secondary school students. Interested candidates are required to complete the online application form, upload a handwritten essay of no more than 750 words on the given topic, attach a recent passport photograph, and provide a valid birth certificate, National ID card, or international passport.
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