{
  "id": 7678643,
  "title": "Winners of Mike Okonkwo Annual Essay Get Rewards Amidst Cheers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/winners-of-mike-okonkwo-annual-essay-get-rewards-amidst-cheers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T01:48:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/09/16/winners-of-mike-okonkwo-annual-essay-get-rewards-amidst-cheers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On February 24, 2026, the 25th annual lecture of the Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria celebrated the winners of the competition. The topic of the essay was 'Democracy at the Crossroads: Electoral Credibility, Judicial Integrity and the Future of Nigeria'. The overall winner, Clinton Chimenem Agburum of Deeper Life High School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, received N800,000, a laptop, trophy and plaque. Agburum scored 72 percent in the first round and 85 percent in the second round, achieving an overall total of 79 percent. Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa from Holyland Senior College, Ipaja, came second with N500,000, a laptop, and plaque. Oloruntimilehin Elijah Oladipo from Isolo Comprehensive Senior High School placed third with N400,000, a plaque, and a tablet. Chief Examiner Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo highlighted the impressive use of AI in the essays, noting that 85 percent of the submissions showed identifiable traces of AI or machine thinking. Ezeigbo emphasized the need for curriculum redesign to keep up with the changing world, as students increasingly rely on AI to ease the difficulty of traditional learning methods.",
  "summary": "Winners of the 2026 Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria, were recently rewarded for their outstanding performance, at the 25th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture, to",
  "key_points": [
    "Clinton Chimenem Agburum won 25th Mike Okonkwo Essay Competition with N800,000 prize",
    "Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa placed second with N500,000 award",
    "Chief Examiner noted 85% of essays showed AI usage"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The emphasis on AI use in essays signals a need for educational reform, as students' growing reliance on technology challenges traditional learning methods and prompts a reevaluation of curriculum design.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}