A 15-year-old student of Metro International School, Abuja, Khaira Ojima Bala, has emerged as Nigeria’s best secondary school essayist for 2026, winning the 16th edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition.

Bala clinched the top prize at the grand finale held on Tuesday at UBA House, Marina, Lagos, where she was rewarded with a N15m educational grant to pursue her studies at any university of her choice in Africa. The event attracted finalists, parents, students, teachers, judges and other stakeholders in the education sector.

Expressing her excitement after being announced as the winner, Bala dedicated the achievement to her parents, acknowledging their sacrifices towards her education.

“I am so happy right now. My parents have sacrificed so much for my education, and this award belongs to them as much as it belongs to me,” she said.

She also commended the UBA Foundation for providing young people with opportunities to express their ideas and showcase their intellectual abilities.

“I also want to thank the UBA Foundation for believing in young people like me and giving us a platform to share our ideas,” she added.

Unwanabasi Otobon Udom of Topfaith International Secondary School emerged as the second-place winner, receiving a N10m educational grant, while Flourish Chibunumoma Ndamzi of the University of Port Harcourt Women Association International Secondary School finished third with N7.5m.

God’sfavour Ezekiel Udo of Federal Government Girls College, Ikot Obio Itong, came fourth and received N5m, while Uchenna Olivia Anyanwu of Coral Impacts International School, Abuja, placed fifth, earning N3.5m.

The five winners emerged from 20 finalists selected from more than 15,000 entries submitted by senior secondary school students across Nigeria. Participants were required to write on the topic, ‘No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?’

As part of the competition, the finalists also participated in a one-day writing boot camp organised with the judges to strengthen their writing and analytical skills.

Khaira Ojima Bala of Metro International School, Abuja, has been crowned as Nigeria’s top secondary school essayist for 2026, emerging as the winner of the 16th edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition
The UBA Foundation increased the total educational grants for this year's competition to N41m, representing an 82 per cent rise from the N22.5m awarded in the previous edition. The increase followed the expansion of the number of prize winners from three to five, alongside an upward review of the individual awards.

Beyond the cash prizes, all 20 finalists received consolation gifts, including modern laptops to support their academic work and research. Their UBA accounts were also credited with N20,000 each as a gesture from the bank’s Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba.

Addressing the finalists, Alawuba congratulated them on their achievements, describing each participant as a winner and urging them to remain committed to learning, hard work and intellectual curiosity.

“You were selected from more than 15,000 students, and you earned this place through your hard work, your curiosity and your determination. We do this because we believe in the future of this continent, and the best investment we can make in that future is in our youth,” he said.

He described the competition as part of the bank’s broader commitment to Africa’s development, stressing that investing in young people was essential to building the continent’s future.

“This is corporate social responsibility, but it goes beyond that. UBA is more than a bank; it is an institution that plays a great role in the future of Africa. How can we say the future is Africa if our young people are not the ones driving it?” Alawuba added.