RMD, the daughter of a Nigerian actor, makes her father happy by earning a psychology degree from a US university.

A 16-year-old FUTA student wins a ₦1 million cash award after defeating 2000 other competitors to win the national essay competition. AFRiCA | A 16-year-old FUTA student wins a ₦1 million cash award after defeating 2000 other competitors to win the national essay competition. The winner of the 2024 Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition is 16-year-old Emmanuel Jesuferanmi Ojedele, an architecture 200-level student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). Emmanuel won the top prize after defeating 2,000 competitors from all over the country. Emmanuel received a golden plaque, a brand-new laptop, and ₦1 million in cash at the grand finale. Miracle Okoli, a 200-level law student at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, was awarded ₦750,000, a laptop, and a plaque for taking second place. Third place went to Okogbe Mary, a 19-year-old second-year student of Electrical Engineering at Igbinedion University in Okada, who received a plaque, a laptop, and ₦500,000. Engineer Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the NCDMB's Executive Secretary, commended everyone who took part in the event, but especially the top 10 finalists and the overall winner. Ogbe, speaking on behalf of Esueme Dan-Kikile, General Manager of Corporate Communications, compared the essay competition to the board's Science Quiz Competition for High School students, describing it as a signature event. Ogbe claims that the tournament is one of NCDMB's initiatives to improve Nigerian educational standards. "One of NCDMB's many interventions to improve the quality of education in Nigeria is the annual national undergraduates' essay competition," the statement stated. "From the undergraduate level, it seeks to foster citizen engagement, writing proficiency, and knowledge of local content and its advantages to the national economy," he continued. Professor Adenike Oladiji, FUTA's vice chancellor, commended Emmanuel's outstanding accomplishment and called him a "worthy ambassador" of the organization. She praised Emmanuel Ojedele for representing our university and for his success in the national competition, saying, "This is a fantastic accomplishment." He is now one of the increasing number of our undergraduates who are setting the pace in both domestic and foreign competitions. "He makes FUTA proud," Professor Adenike continued.