16-Year-Old OAU Student Wins 2025 NCDMB Undergraduate Essay Competition
- A 16-year-old OAU medical student emerged winner of the 2025 NCDMB Undergraduate Essay Competition and received a one-million-naira prize
- NCDMB said the competition had strengthened students’ understanding of local content and supported national conversations on energy transition
- The event concluded with renewed commitment from the board to sustain the contest as a national platform for intellectual advancement
A 16-year-old second-year medical student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Akande Oyinkansola Josephine, has claimed the top spot in the 2025 Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board National Undergraduate Essay Competition.
She won the contest with her submission on the theme Sustaining Local Content Policies in the Transitioning Oil and Gas Industry. The event held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Source: Facebook
Akande received one million naira, a new laptop and a plaque. The second and third place prizes went to Sonuga Sultan Opeyemi of the Federal University of Technology Akure and Aguigwe Precious Amarachi of the University of Uyo.
They received seven hundred thousand naira and five hundred thousand naira respectively, along with laptops and plaques.
NCDMB on purpose of contest
Speaking at the ceremony, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, said the competition has grown into one of the board’s notable programmes shaped around its mandate of capacity building and stakeholder engagement.
Ogbe was represented at the ceremony by the General Manager of Corporate Communications, Dr Obinna Ezeobi.
He said the contest aims to develop the next generation’s understanding of how local content supports economic advancement, industrial growth and national security.
He added that the initiative helps students appreciate the sector by encouraging analytical writing and broader exposure to national issues.
Source: Facebook
Strategic roadmap and talent discovery
Ogbe noted the board’s progress with its 10 Year Strategic Roadmap which stands at 56 percent completion. He also referenced the Back to the Creek Initiative which is designed to support communities and identify indigenous talents.
He praised the impartiality of the judging process and expressed gratitude to the assessors.
“Every project associated with NCDMB must be excellent, professional, and world-class,” he said.
He described the essay topic as timely and aligned with ongoing national conversations on energy transition and capacity development.
The Chairman of the occasion, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Africa Toru Orua, Prof Barclays Ayakoroma, applauded NCDMB for sustaining the competition. He expressed concern that no student from any university in Bayelsa State reached the final round. He suggested that consolation prizes be considered for future editions to encourage wider participation.
In his welcome remarks, the consultant to NCDMB on the project, Eyinimi Omorozi, saluted the top ten finalists for their discipline and brilliance. He said the board has consistently promoted academic excellence and capacity building through the contest.
The ten finalists were drawn from an initial shortlist of fifty students from institutions across the country. The remaining finalists included Folayemi Idowu of OAU, Usman Tahiru of Ahmadu Bello University, Maryam Hazmat and Omoshalewa Ogunleke of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Isaiah Iyah of the University of Uyo, Lawal Abdullah of Baze University Abuja and Lawal Olayemi of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti.
The ceremony drew students, educators, dignitaries and media representatives. It closed with commendations for all participants and a renewed pledge by NCDMB to sustain the platform as a hub for national intellectual development.
FG clarifies claims that JAMB no longer required
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Federal Ministry of Education issued a strong rebuttal to a misleading publication circulating across newspapers and online platforms, which falsely claimed that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was no longer required for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
In a formal statement released by the Ministry, the minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa CON, categorically dismissed the report as “false, baseless, and did not originate from the Federal Ministry of Education.”
Source: Legit.ng
