Nigeria’s food security challenge is to become the subject of a national intellectual contest among senior secondary school students, with the UBA Foundation offering ₦41.5 million in university educational grants and prizes to the five best entries in its 2026 National Essay Competition.
The 16th edition of the competition, which has now opened for entries, is challenging young Nigerians to examine how the country can overcome its food security problem, shifting the focus of the annual initiative from academic writing alone to a major national development concern.
Participants are required to respond to the topic, “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?” The foundation said the exercise is designed to encourage creativity, critical thinking and strong writing skills while giving students an opportunity to develop ideas around issues affecting the country.
Beyond the intellectual contest, the initiative provides substantial support for the winners’ higher education. The overall winner will receive a ₦15 million university grant, representing an increase from the ₦10 million awarded to the 2025 winner.
The second- and third-place winners will receive ₦10.5 million and ₦7.5 million respectively, while the fourth- and fifth-place winners will get ₦5 million and ₦3.5 million each. The introduction of grants for the fourth- and fifth-place positions means that all five leading contestants will receive financial support for their university education.
The grants may be used towards university education at any African university of the winners’ choice, potentially extending the benefit of the competition beyond Nigeria and giving successful participants greater flexibility in pursuing their preferred courses and institutions.
UBA Foundation Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bola Atta, said the competition had over the years provided a platform for secondary school students to demonstrate their intellectual abilities and contribute ideas to national development.
“For well over a decade, the National Essay Competition has provided a vital platform for our secondary school students to express their ideas and showcase their intellectual prowess,” Atta said.
Eligible students have until Friday, October 23, 2026, to submit their entries through the competition’s digital portal. Each essay must be handwritten and must not exceed 750 words, while applicants are required to upload a recent passport photograph and a valid birth certificate, National Identification Card or international passport.
