16-Year OAU Female Student Wins NCDMB Annual National Essay Competition
A 16-year-old student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ms Akande Oyinkansola Josephine, has won the 2025 Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition. She beat hundreds of entrants nationwide to claim the ₦1 million grand prize and a brand-new laptop.
Oyinkansola, a 200-level Medicine and Surgery student, impressed judges with her essay on “Sustaining Local Content Policies in the Transitioning Oil and Gas Industry” at the grand finale held at the NCDMB Tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
OAU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, described her achievement as “a resounding affirmation of the excellence that defines the Great Ife spirit,” praising her intellectual depth and analytical skill at such a young age. The Dean of Student Affairs, Professor John Adeolu Odedire, encouraged other students to draw inspiration from her dedication and determination.
NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe highlighted the competition as a key initiative to foster critical thinking and promote awareness of local content among undergraduates.
Now in its ninth year, the competition continues to nurture talent across Nigeria’s universities. Oyinkansola’s victory adds to OAU’s long record of academic distinction, reinforcing the institution’s reputation as a leading centre of intellectual excellence.
