MAPOLY graduate wins 6^th Ships & Ports Essay Competition

 Babalola Yusuf Abiola

Miss Abimbola Olotu, a 2010 graduate of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has emerged the winner of the sixth Ships & Ports Annual national Essay Competition in Lagos.

She however carted away the N100, 000 star prize cheque though, Olotu’s feat at the prize presentation ceremony makes her the first female star prize winner since the competition, which has transformed into a strong brand, kicked off in 2006.

Aside olotu other price winners in this year’s competition include Mr. Onyema Emmanuel Ngwakwe, Sifax Group Prize for Creative Writing & Presentation; and Mr. Babatunde Bello, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Prize for Outstanding Essay.

 A Correspondent of Businessday newspaper, Miss Uzoamaka Anagor; and Messrs Ejike-Ume Felix Ifeanyi, Daniel Henry Onovo and Christopher Okeke also won the  NIMASA Prize for Outstanding Essay.

It would be recalled that one of this year’s winners of the NIMASA Prize for Outstanding Essay, Messr Ejike-Ume Felix Ifeanyi, a lawyer, was the star prize winner of the 2009 edition of the competition.

A journalist with the Nigerian Tribune, Peter Chukwuma Okparaocha, won the 5^th edition in 2011; a Post-Graduate student of the University of Ibadan, Mr. Uchenna Jerome Orji, won the star prize of the 4^th edition carting away a new Kia Piccanto.

 Ejike-Ume Felix Ifeanyi won the 3^rd edition; Mr. Adewale Opeyemi, a Masters degree student of Archaeology at the Federal University of Technology, Minna Niger State won the 2^nd edition while a naval officer; Navy Captain Atakpa Sunday Daniel won the star prize in the maiden edition of the competition.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of Ships & Ports Communication Company, Mr. Bolaji Akinola disclosed that the Essay Competition was designed “to encourage Nigerians to think aloud about the maritime sector and to revive and sustain vivid, contentious and creative essay writing about the sector.

He continued, “The enormous interest the maiden edition generated among Nigerians and industry stakeholders were the stamp of approval we needed to institutionalize the competition”, Akinola stated.