Etisalat-DigitalSENSE students’ essay competition winners rewarded

Nigeria’s youth-friendly telecommunications company, Etisalat, has again affirmed its commitment to the development of the education sector and youth empowerment in the country by rewarding winners of the 2016 edition of the Etisalat-DigitalSENSE Students’ Essay Competition.

The three winners are Odonoekuma Onyebuchi Ekuma, a fourth-year medical student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State; Henry Monday Oguns, a 500-level Petrochemical Engineering student of the University of Benin, Edo State; and Egwe Tochukwu Christopher, a fourth year Law student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Ekuma, who emerged the star-prize winner of the contest, was rewarded with a laptop computer and free internet access, courtesy Etisalat Nigeria, whilst Oguns and Christopher, who were the first and second runners up respectively, went home with a tablet device and a mobile phone, also by the sponsors, Etisalat Nigeria.

The trio came tops in the Etisalat-sponsored essay competition with the theme: “Internet Governance for Development: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians.”

It was organised by DigitalSENSE Africa.

Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony in Lagos, the Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the Etisalat-DigitalSENSE Students’ Essay Competition was one of the various platforms through which Etisalat promotes education and supports youth development in Nigeria.

Osunsedo said: “This competition is part of the annual Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development as well as the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable.

“As a youth-friendly company, we at Etisalat are pleased to create and support platforms that contribute to the development of Nigeria’s education sector and the empowerment of the Nigerian youth.

“Our drive is to continue to support the development of education in Nigeria.

“This collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa is a proof of our commitment to supporting the dreams of Nigerian youths, and helping them to actualize their potentials.

“Etisalat will continue to provide innovative products and services, a reliable network as well as cutting edge solutions to our subscribers of which the youth are a critical segment.”

The Group Executive Editor and Lead Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa, Remmy Nweke, thanked Etisalat for its continued sponsorship of the competition.

Nweke said the competition, which also aims to help the youth to explore opportunities on the internet, is open to students between ages 18 and 30.

Nweke added that a total of 171 entries received for 2016 edition were assessed based on the understanding of the topic, ability to localize it, the presentation, and strict adherence to 600-word count limit.

As part of steps to further motivate the youth to aim for higher heights, Ekuma’s winning essay will be published in ITRealms and he will participate in the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum as Etisalat-DigitalSENSE Student Ambassador.

Ekuma said: “I have a special interest in the use of Internet and Information Technology. When I graduate, I plan to take a postgraduate course in Information Technology that relates to medical science. The essay competition is a good initiative. Etisalat and DigitalSENSE should continue to leverage it to reach more Nigerian students.”