Rivers Student, Agburum, Gets N1m as Winner of 2026 Mike Okonkwo Essay Contest
Uchechukwu Nnaike A year after 15-year-old Davina Phillips from Bloombreed School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary
Clinton Chimenem Agburum, a student at Deeper Life High School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition. He achieved an impressive 79 percent overall, scoring 72 percent in the first round and 85 percent in the second. Agburum's victory comes just a year after Rivers State student Davina Phillips won the 2025 edition.
Second place went to Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa from Holyland Senior College, Ipaja, with an average total of 75 percent, while Oloruntimilehin Elijah Oladipo from Isolo Comprehensive Senior High School came third with a 70 percent average. Chief Examiner Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo noted that the essays showcased the transformative impact of science and technology on education, with many students leveraging AI as a learning aid.
Ezeigbo stressed the need to adapt the curriculum to integrate AI and prepare students for the future. The 2026 winners and their schools will receive their prizes on September 3, 2026, at the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture series in Lagos.
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