By Osaretin Ekiadolor
Two girls emerged winners in the Maiden edition of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Essay competition for the senior and junior secondary school category carting away cash prizes, Laptop and Ministers’ plaques.
Eighteen year old Loretta Mogbolu from Government Comprehensive Secondary Schools Bwari won the senior secondary school category with an essay titled: “Abuja: The Capital of Our Dream” and was presented a Laptop, N50,000 cash rewards a plaque and certificate of award by the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed.
Suur Mciaga –Tsavsar from the Redeemer’s Private Secondary School won the Junior Secondary School category and was presented the Cash prize of N30,000, a Laptop, plaque and certificate from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory discussing the: “The People of Abuja” in her essay.
The winners emerged out of 287 entries from 83 schools in the Federal Capital Territory relegating their male colleagues to the third positions in the competition.
Both prizes were sponsored by the offices of both Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory who enjoined the children to remain focused in their educational pursuit as the administration will continue to create enabling environment for them to build their intellect.
Director of the FCT Archives and History Bureau, Mr. Charles Nnodim said the emergence of the girl child leading both categories of the competition relegating their male counterpart to the third positions re-emphasized the girl-child role in nation building.
“It is clear from this exercise that the girl-child in the FCT is already ahead of her male counterpart in academic excellence,” Charles stated.
Congratulating the children, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, said the event was aimed at promoting the culture of history and record keeping amongst the children to prepare them for future leadership.
The Minister who was represented by the Director, Education Resource Centre, Hajiya Ramatu Auwallu Ibrahim noted that the concept of record keeping and archival management is poorly understood by the public and early introduction of this aspect of historical preservation would assist the younger ones to have a good grasp of archive records.
His words: “This event is basically aimed at sensitizing our children to imbibe the culture of records management and archival administration to prepare them for future leadership roles and nation building.
“It is also expected that the competition will serve as talent hunt exercise to enable the administration identify and adequately harness the God-given potential of the participants.
“Perception of the Records and Archives, by the public and even organizations which create them, is not quite clear in most cases. Archives are often confused to be meant for only historians or libraries, or even the same as the work of Museum, that is dealing with artifact and antiquities.
“The essay outreach programme is in order to catch them young, especially in the art of records-keeping and archival materials.
The first and second runner ups, in the Senior Category, Anumah Jemimah Ize from Regina Pacis College Garki and Akuma Adaeze of Government Secondary School, GSS Karshi got cash prizes of N20,000 and 10,000 and laptops each respectively.
For the junior category the first runner up, Maigari Dida Gift of La-Vogue International School Kurudu was presented with a laptop and N10,000 cash prize while Omoruyi who came third got a laptop and plaque without any cash benefit.
The consolation prizes, of a plaque and certificate were presented to Okereke Kelechi in the senior secondary school category and the Aima Mayowa Momoh received for her performance in the junior secondary school category.
