Winners of 2019 IBB Essay Writing competition emerge

A reporter with Prestige FM Radio, Minna, and writer with The Arts-Muse Fair, Abubakar Akote has emerged winner in the media practitioners’ category of the 2019 edition of the annual essay competition organized to mark the 78^th birthday of the former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

Abubakar Akote 

This year’s edition which is second in the series cut across four categories – Media practitioners, Legal practitioners, Medical practitioners and related fields as well as post and undergraduate categories.

According to an aide to the former leader, Saka Adeyemi, who conceived the idea in 2018, the aim and objective of the competition was to deepen intellectual discourse among various professionals and youths towards finding solutions to the topical challenges facing the country.

Adeyemi said “the emphasis is not to dish out money but in furtherance of IBB’s legacy and leadership which is widely acknowledged to be the most resourceful in terms of policies formulations and implementations.”

Saka Adeyemi and IBB

He said in this edition, only 3 entries were received in the media practitioners’ category while 6 entries were received from undergraduate and postgraduate categories among others. He explained that after  

conceiving the idea in 2018, General Babangida agreed to it and wanted it to be an annual event. The winners in each of the four categories will receive the prizes of 100, 000 naira each.

Winners of the other categories are Aliu Toyin Abdul (Legal practitioners), Chioma Okonkwo (Medical practitioners and related fields), and Ogbaga Sunday Thomas for the Undergraduates and postgraduates students' category.

Abubakar Akote

Abubakar Akote, winner of the Media Practioners' category is a postgraduate student in the department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He is the author of Young Freelance. He also has a collection of English poems with their translations in his native tribe, Nupe. 

As an undergraduate student in the Department of Mass Communication, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Akote won a consolation prize in an essay competition organized by The Nation newspaper in collaboration with Liberty Organization for African Students, in which over 180 entries were received from students across African countries.

Abubakar Akote’s feature and news stories as well as opinion articles have been featured in various reputable national newspapers in Nigeria. He has edited Attibiyan Magazine and currently work as reporter and editor with Prestige FM Radio, Minna. He was awarded Best News Writer and Best Editor in 2014 and 2015 respectively by the Mass Communication Students Association of IBB University, Lapai.