UDUS Student Emerges As 1st Runner-Up of IESU National Emirate Essay Competition

-


Abdulrasheed Akere 


 Biliaminu Manne reports, 

Abdulkareem Abdulrasheed Akere an indigenous of Ilorin (Emirate), Kwara State, a Biology and Education student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), emerged as the 1st runner-up of the 2023 National Emirate Essay Competition, organized by Ilorin Emirate Students' Union_ National Headquarter in honor of Hon. Yakubu Babatunde Prudent.

The essay competition, which was titled "CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ILORIN EMIRATE: CAUSES AND WAY FORWARD" and stated to declare three winners with a given cash price as "WINNER N50,000, 1st RUNNER UP N30,000, and 2nd RUNNER UP N20,000," Abdulrasheed Akere emerged as the first runner-up of the 2023 national emirate essay competition.

Mr. Akere received an acknowledgment email of emerging as the first runner-up on Tuesday, 3rd October 2023, and Akere was invited to the Secretariat IESU, Pakata Roundabout, Ilorin, Kwara State.

Email 


The email reads in parts; "Dear Abdulrasheed, Having received, read, and scored your entry painstakingly, we are pleased to inform you that you emerge as the 1st runner-up in the Essay competition which entitles you to a sum of #30,000 as a prize.

"Please, be informed that you are expected to be present (in person or in proxy) at the IESU Secretariat, Pakata Roundabout for the presentation of the prize and picture-taking with the National Executive Council alongside the sponsor. Be there by 10:00 am prompt and kindly share your contact number with this mail," the mail read.

In an interview with this Reporter, Abdulrasheed Akere expressed his gratitude and narrated that this year's competition was not his first time participating in writing contests, "Actually, this is not my first time applying for a writing contest, it's a piece of good news that this trial was fruitful. I observe that consistency matters a lot because the more I try, the more I become better.

"I thank Allah for His blessings over the contest. Trying is one thing while winning is another thing. I believe who does not try cannot win that's why I gave it a trial when the application was out," Akere said.

He furthered that that the theme of the essay competition triggered his moral to participate in the competition. "The theme of the writing contest motivated me to participate because it was based on contemporary issues in Ilorin Emirate— the domicile where I belong, and Highlighting way out of the dilemmas wasn’t a problem.

Moreso, Akere also added that he is very happy to be among the top three winners, despite the number of entries received from Emirate’s scholars. The Winner is a final-year student of the University of Ilorin, followed by Abdulrasheed Akere, the 1st Runner-Up is a semi-final student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, and the 2nd Runner-Up is a student, Studying at Kano State. The prize was not majorly the reason for my happiness but the acknowledgment of my writing skill at the national level," Akere told this reporter.


 Essay Competition Organizers React

Speaking with the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Students' Union, Sheikh Ridwanullahi Sarumi, told this reporter that the essay competition aims to ignite the spirit of scholarship among the emirate students, and to awaken the educational capacity.

In his words: "The objective of the Essay is to activate the spirit of scholarship that is inherent in Ilorin students across the nation. It is meant to reawaken the educational consciousness of our fellow students (home and abroad) and to give them an Avenue to contribute their quota in proffering viable remedies to the contemporary challenges facing the Emirate at large," he said.

Mr. Ridwanullahi also told this reporter that the competition scoring was due to the quality of each paper, considering the grammatical usage, and Storytelling. "The scoring of the entries were based on the quality of the papers, particularly the quality of the content. Some of the entries display a lack of understanding of the topic. The grammatical usage was also part of the pedestal. We also consider the diction and the grammatical constructions usage adopted in conveying their message.

"Particularly, how each entry was able to point at the problems and challenges bedeviling Ilorin Emirate as a city and how viable are the remedies proffered and recommended by each entry," he said.

Sheikh Ridwanullahi charged the winners to keep the pace of writing, "I will enjoin the winners to continue embarking on the journey of writing. And they should not forget the wordings of Benjamin Franklin who said: “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.”


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 NACJ UDUS President Promises Members Innovative Initiatives, Inclusiveness and Skill Development By Adeshina Saheedat Adeola,   Hussein Wahab Kehinde, a 400 level student of law, a former editor of News Digest Press who doubles as the new president of the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), has during his inaugural speech pledged to implement innovative initiatives, foster inclusivity and provide skill development opportunities for all members. On Saturday, November 9, 2023, Hussein's name was announced at the Annual Award and Dinner night organized by National Association of Campus Journalist, an avenue where skills, experience and hard work of committed members are being appreciated. In his inaugural speech titled "The President's Note," the newly sworned leader expressed his gratitude for the leadership role he has being bestowed with and excitement for the opportunity to serve the association. He acknowled...
Read more

INSIDE UDUS: Recent African Plight Hits Students' Union Representatives, A Sad Tale to Be Known

-
Image
Danfodiyo Varsity (UDUS) By Biliaminu Manne It is no longer news that many African countries are currently in the trenches of breaking grounds, recording a series of coups for the chronicles of next-generation and historical students to lean on.  Though it is not a novel thing, from 2019 to 2023, Africa has the records of 10 coups with the recent coup at Gabon, if successful. However, not to delve into the happenings of the African continent, the recent African plights reached the recently elected Students' Union of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, which will raise the record to eleven (11) coups in Africa, though this 11th is not by military, it is by the management of the varsity. Why Suspension It is an irrefutable fact that the Danfodites had been waiting anxiously for a democratic era after the long reign of the Caretaker Committee. Not too long ago, the dream came to reality when the university management released a circular on the code and conduct of the new electioneerin...
Read more
-
Image
Gamji Poetry: Eternal Longing  By Musa Aminah Can I love you like a shooting star streaking across the night sky? Can I confess the depths of my heart's desires? For your beauty enchants me, like a tale spun by folklore's fireside. I'm addicted to you, like a potion that consumes my very being. A day without glimpsing your face feels like an eternity lost in time. Always yearning to be by your side, like a sailor longing for the shore. Day and night, thoughts of you dance through my mind, a never-ending waltz. Even in slumber, our dreams intertwine, painting a tapestry of our love. I wonder if you share the same sentiments, if our hearts beat in harmony. Every day, I pray for your love to mirror mine, a symphony of emotions. No matter the obstacles, I'm willing to traverse rivers and scale walls for you. Love, they say, is a curse, and now I understand its grip on my soul. Love, like a persistent cough, refuses to be contained or silenced. Your charms bewitch me, like a...
Read more