Oluwasina Phillip
National winners have emerged in the 2021 edition of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) annual essay competition with the theme “The Role of Standardisation in Promoting, Arts, Culture and Heritage – The Creative Economy in Africa”.
A statement from the office of the Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mallam Farouk Salim disclosed that Unwuka Pascaline Chiamaka of the University of Nigeria Nsukka came tops with a score of 78.08 per cent.
The first and second runners-up according to the statement were Odu, Sunday Bancha of the University of Abuja with 77.94 per cent and Ibe, Chijoke Kennedy of the University of Nigeria Nsukka with 77.68 per cent respectively.
Two others who qualified alongside the three winners to participate in the 2021 Continental competition were Evans-Ibe, Savictor Sobechi of the University of Nigeria Nsukka with 75.68 per cent score and Dimowo Ofuje Cosmos of the University of Benin, 73.58 per cent, the statement explained.
While congratulating the winners on their efforts at linking standardisation to the growth of the creative economy being driven by African Youths, the SON Boss also commended them for their competitive spirit while urging more Nigerian undergraduates to throw their hats into the ring for subsequent editions.
Mallam Salim promised to ensure increased publicity for the essay competition to encourage more Nigerian youths from all government recognized tertiary institutions in the country toparticipate in future editions.
The SON Boss also commended members of the inter-ministerial screening committee for a job well done in collating, assessing and scoring all the competitors impartially to arrive at the eventual winners like they have always done since the inception of the competition in 2013.
Forty one (41) essays were received by the Inter-Ministerial Screening committee from 15 Government approved tertiary institutions according to the SON Statement.
Members of the committee include representatives from the Federal Ministries of Education, Health, Women Affairs and Social Development as well as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
Others are the National Universities Commission; Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria providing the Secretariat and coordination.