UBA raise grant by 100%, calls for entries for 2018 National Essay Competition
The corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, UBA Foundation has flagged off calls for entries for the 2018 edition of its annual National Essay Competition in Nigeria.
The essay competition since inception has been designed to raise national consciousness through skills in essay writing for senior secondary school students.
Organisers say the competition which is a yearly social investment of the bank is part the Foundation’s education initiative aimed at promoting reading culture, encouraging healthy and intellectual competition among secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.
In her remarks at the media flag off of the entries at the Bank’s head office in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, said competition provides an opportunity for students in secondary schools across the country to put in their entries and to win prizes in the form of educational grants to study in any universities based in Africa.
She said “This prize will encourage them to strive towards their goals in life. This year, the cash prize has significantly increased as the Foundation emphasizes that education remains one of the foundation’s key initiatives.
“The first prize for the UBA National Essay Competition is a N2 million educational grant for the winner to study in any African university of his or her choice, a 100% increase from N1m which was awarded last year, while the second and third prizes increased to N1.5 million and N1m educational grants respectively; up from N750,000 and N500,000 previously obtained. She told the students and participants at the event,
“We are aware that if you sponsor a child’s education, you have supported an entire family as that child will positively impact his/her community. The competition is a key aspect of our investment drive in human capital, as we seek to improve knowledge base, allow students to express themselves and write creatively.
Mrs Atta averred that “We will continue also to sustain the initiative because education is very important to UBA and we are more than committed to providing the necessary support for students in Nigeria and throughout the African continent.”
Earlier in her speech, the Group Head, Human Resources, Patricia Aderibigbe, advised contestants to have a growth mindset that will drive them to a strong and reliable academic future and profession.
