UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), has announced a N2.250 million educational grants for the first three winners in this year’s National Essay Competition being organised by the Foundation.
The annual essay competition, which is a product of the Foundation’s Read Africa Initiative, is designed to develop the intellectual and writing abilities of the nation’s senior secondary schools’ students.
Flagging off the competition at the bank’s Corporate Headquarters in Lagos recently, Ijeoma Aso, managing director and chief executive officer of the Foundation, stated that while the overall winner would get an educational grant of N1million, the first and second runners-up will get N750,000 and N500,000 respectively.
Besides showing the Foundation’s commitment to the educational aspirations of the Nigerian children, Aso believes the competition, which is in its fifth edition, would also provide the opportunity for UBA, through the Foundation, to give back to its operating environments, in tune with its corporate visions and commitment of enhancing the lives of people in its business environments.
While calling on the nation’s Senior Secondary School students to avail themselves of the opportunity, the Foundation’s chief executive added that any of the winners would be given the opportunity of the financial support, not only in the nation’s higher institution, but any higher institutions of their choice in Africa.
“Being a truly Nigerian and African brand, we are committed to developing talents in Nigeria and Africa and exploring available opportunities within the shores of the continent. That is why we are calling on every Nigerian secondary school students to begin to send in their handwritten essays which should not be more than 750 words, since the Foundation will not extend the submission date once it closes on November 13, 2015,” she stated.
In his remarks, Emeke Iweriebor, the bank’s executive director/ deputy chief executive officer, charged some of the students present at the event on the need to always strive for knowledge, describing the essay competition as providing them the opportunity to prove their academic mettle and better their lots.
