A 13-year-old student of Igando Community Senior High School, Lagos, Ebunoluwa Seth Oluwatimilehin, on Tuesday made history as the youngest winner of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition since its inception.
Ebunoluwa, an SS2 student, also ended an eight-year run of female winners to become the first male champion in nearly a decade. He received a N10 million educational grant to support his university studies at any institution in Africa.
In a statement, the UBA Foundation quoted the elated teenager as saying that the win had further strengthened his passion for writing. “I am incredibly grateful and overwhelmed. This competition has shown me that passion and hard work truly pay off. It has been an amazing journey that has deepened my love for writing and expressing my ideas,” he said.
Njoku-Kelechi Emerald of Christian International High School, Owerri, emerged second and was awarded a N7.5 million educational grant, while the third-place winner, Bayero Fatima Auwal of Cornerstone Montessori Schools, Gudu, Abuja, received N5 million.
All 12 finalists also went home with new laptops and other learning materials to support their academic growth.
The 2025 edition of the competition attracted several thousand entries, with a significant rise in submissions from rural communities across the country.
UBA Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, commended the foundation’s continued investment in youth development, noting that the initiative had, for 15 years, helped to reawaken the reading and writing culture among young Nigerians.
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