As winners of the Annual National Essay Competition continued their celebration in their various schools, stakeholders have lauded Bishop Mike Okonkwo for contributing to the education sector and also boosting the reading culture among students.
The stakeholders made the remarks at the award ceremony for the 16th edition of the annual national essay competition for secondary school students held recently in Lagos.
Organisers of the essay competition said since inception, winners have emerged from the different geo-political zones of the country, confirming what the Presiding Bishop of TREM, Dr. Mike Okonkwo already knows, that the future of Nigeria is secured if we nurture the minds of these young ones.
In her remarks at the event, Chief Folake Solanke commended the organisers of the essay competition and described it as the most laudable because it promotes education and scholarship among the students.
Solanke, the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said worldwide, not only in Nigeria, there is a serious diminishing culture of reading.
She congratulated the winners of the essay competition and also appreciated Bishop Mike Okonkwo for the generosity of the prizes showered on the three students, which she said will encourage and motivate others to participate in future essay competition.
On his part, the guest speaker, Mr. Femi Falana showered encomium on Bishop Mike Okonkwo for sponsoring the essay competition for students since 16 years ago to help improve the reading culture.
Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) observed that the essay competition has produced past winners that are doing well in different fields.
Apart from asking the churches to fight injustice in the country, Falana urged them to emulate Dr. Okonkwo by assisting to improve the education sector through initiatives that would help students.
In her report, the Chief Examiner of the essay competition, Prof Akachi Ezeigbo, acknowledged that the annual event has improved and added value to the education sector.
Prof Ezeigbo explained that more entries were received in the 2019 edition of the competition but observed a few flaws in the submission made by the students.
“Many of the students plagiarised, it is a crime. Some of the essays we marked showed evidence of cheating. Teachers are ill-equipped to detect plagiarism in their students’ works. We must raise our children to be people of integrity. We must ensure they ready books,” Ezeigbo.