Josephine Oyinkansola Akande, a sixteen-year-old student of Obafemi Awolowo University, on Friday, emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Nigerian Content Department and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) National Undergraduates Annual Essay Competition.
Akande, a medical student who hails from Osun State, dusted nine other students to emerge winner of the final slab of the competition with the theme “sustaining local content policies in the transitional oil and gas industry”, coasting home with One Million Naira and a Laptop.
Opeyemi Sultan Sonuga of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), twenty-three and a Medical student, took second position with seven hundred thousand Naira and a Laptop. Amarachi Precious Aguigwe 19-year-old student of Computer Science at the University of Uyo, got third position with five hundred thousand with a laptop.
Idowu Hallelujah Folayemi of Obafemi Awolowo University nineteen-year-old student of Pharmacy, took fourth position. Tahiru Muhammad Usman, a student of Ahmadu Bello University studying Electrical Engineering, got fifth position with a laptop, while Maryam Hazmat of Usman Danfodiyo University studying Pharmacy and Entrepreneur, got sixth position and went home with a laptop among others.
Welcoming the students at the Local Content Towers, Yenagoa, Eyinimi Omorozi, Chief Executive Officer (Programme Consultant) of Mahogany 21st Century Concepts Limited, said that the occasion represents another NCDMB’s success story in the NCDMB Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition.
He said that the occasion was used to honour and celebrate ten (10) of the brightest young minds who are seated from different tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Omorozi disclosed that the students did justice to the theme of the 2025 NCDMB Essay Competition which was: “Sustaining Local Content Policies in the Transitioning Oil and Gas Industry”
He said:” I must thank the NCDMB for sustaining this event, which has become one of the most prestigious academic events for Nigerian students.”
He extended special appreciation to the panel of Judges/Assessors, academics from different higher institutions, for their dedication.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by Teddy Bai, Head Government Relations of NCDMB, said that he was delighted that the programme has become a signature event for NCDMB, “just like our Science Quiz Competition for High School students, which was conceived to stimulate interest in Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
The ES disclosed that the NCDMB has sustained the sponsorship of the contest for nine years because of the huge importance the board attaches to education and the intellectual development of young members of our society.
“Our sponsorship of this competition is in line with our mandate, which is capacity-building and local content development. Furthermore, the annual national undergraduates’ essay competition is one of NCDMB’s multiple interventions to lift the standard of education in Nigeria.
“It aims to promote proficiency in writing, awareness of local content and its benefit to the national economy, and to engender citizen engagement from the undergraduate level.” He said.
The chairman of the event, Professor Barclays Ayakoroma, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, University of Africa, Toru-Oruo, Bayelsa State, asked that NCDMB should also think of compensating those who didn’t win, maintaining that “the students should also be encouraged to do more.
He also regretted that no student from Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta States was among the first ten, adding that students from these states should be more serious-minded henceforth.
In his vote of thanks, Teleola Oyeleke, who represented Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager Corporate Communications of NCDMB, appreciated all who entered for the nomination, especially the first ten.
He told them that even though they didn’t win, their names have entered the history of NCDMB.
