The Nigeria Higher Education Foundation held its inaugural essay competition in February 2015. The competition is aimed at harnessing young minds on issues of vital importance to Nigeria’s development. We received a lot of entries based on the topic of the recently concluded essay writing contest which was “ The Role of Higher Education in Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria”. The entries offered a diverse range of views from students at NHEF partner universities.

Congratulations to Odonoekuma Onyebuchi, a 500-level student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka studying Medicine & Surgery for winning the inaugural essay competition of the NHEF. He also recently won the first place at the National essay competition organized by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). Below is an excerpt from his essay:

“Higher education strengthens democracy by building a knowledgeable citizenry that can participate effectively in governance, and by grooming moral leaders to free the country from the shackles of corruption and ethnocentrism. Higher education also provides the human resources and developmental initiatives that strengthen Nigerian democratic institutions in the fight against poverty, and in the search for new approaches and solutions to political and economic challenges”.

Chidi Nkwocha (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) was awarded the first runner-up, and Aniah Justin (University of Ibadan) was named second runner-up. The NHEF commends these students on their laudable achievements and hope to continue inspiring these young scholars. Official submission of entries for the second edition of the competition will open on Monday, February 8th 2016.