Miss Bala Khaira Ojima, a 15-year-old student of Metro International School, Kubwa, Abuja, has emerged as the winner of the 2026 National Essay Competition organised by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc for senior secondary school students nationwide. The annual event is now in its 16th year and was held at UBA House in Marina, Lagos, on Tuesday. Female students dominated the competition, sweeping the first five positions and securing seven other spots among the 20 finalists.
Ojima, an SS3 science student and the last-born child of her parents, beat out roughly 13,000 participants across the country. She edged out 15-year-old Unwanabasi Otobong Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School, Akwa Ibom, who took second place; Flourish Chibunumona Udamzi of the University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School in third; Godsfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls' College, Ikot Obio Itong, Akwa Ibom, in fourth; and Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, in fifth place.
For her exceptional effort, Ojima was rewarded with a ₦15 million scholarship grant to study at any university of her choice in Africa, alongside a trophy, a laptop and a certificate of merit. The other top finalists also received significant rewards: second place, Unwanabasi Otobong Udom, received a ₦10 million scholarship; third place, Flourish Chibunumona Udamzi, received a ₦7.5 million scholarship; fourth place, Godsfavour Ezekiel Udo, received a ₦5 million scholarship; and fifth place, Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu, received a ₦3.5 million scholarship. Each of the top five runners-up also received a laptop and a certificate of merit.
This year marks the first time in the competition's 16-year history that the fourth- and fifth-place winners received scholarship grants, while the remaining 15 finalists received cash prizes and laptops as consolation rewards. UBA increased the prize pool this year from its previous rates of ₦10 million, ₦5 million and ₦3.5 million for the top three positions.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, Ojima, who attended the event with her father, revealed that winning the competition on her first attempt required rigorous effort. She noted that she frequently stayed up late researching and writing her response to this year's topic: 'Examine how poverty and other social vices contribute to the prevalence of child marriage in Nigeria.' While commending the UBA Foundation for providing the platform, Ojima stated that the competition expanded her knowledge of contemporary national issues and taught her that hard work, critical thinking and commitment truly pay off.
In his remarks, the Group Managing Director/CEO of UBA Plc, Mr Oliver Alawuba, expressed excitement over using the platform to boost education, revive reading cultures and foster healthy competition among secondary school students across Africa. He noted that the annual event aims to change the world positively. 'We believe strongly in quality education. The future of the world is in Africa, and that can only be achieved by preparing our youth well for what lies ahead,' Alawuba said. He added that the competition has produced numerous past winners who are now contributing meaningfully to national development. Alawuba explained that the UBA Foundation decided to increase the scholarship amounts and extend rewards to the fourth and fifth positions to buffer the impact of high inflation across Africa. He also highlighted that the competition has expanded to at least seven other African countries where UBA operates, including Ghana and Senegal. He pledged that the bank will continue to expand investments in African youth seeking university education on the continent.
Also speaking, the Managing Director/CEO of the UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, congratulated the winners on their exceptional performance. She encouraged participants who missed out on the top spots to stay determined. 'Ensure you don't give up on your dreams,' Atta urged. She noted that the competition has noticeably improved students' written prowess, confidence, exposure, critical thinking and social awareness. However, a member of the judging panel, Prof. Ini Uko of the University of Uyo, offered a critical perspective. While acknowledging that the winning entries were highly competitive, she pointed out that many overall submissions were poor, with students writing out of context or misusing artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Prof. Uko warned that the quality of some entries showed that many students are overly distracted by social media at the expense of their academic commitments.