NEMA Awards Three Essay Winners ₦500,000 Each

NEMA Awards Three Essay Winners ₦500,000 Each

Three participants have emerged as the overall winners of the 2026 National Essay Competition organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), taking home ₦500,000 each.

The winners were drawn from three categories covering secondary school students, tertiary institution students and members of the NYSC Emergency Management Vanguards.

At the award ceremony held at NEMA’s headquarters in Abuja on September 10, the agency also rewarded contestants who finished second and third with ₦300,000 and ₦200,000 respectively. Those who made the top 10 in each category received certificates of recognition.

In the senior secondary school category, Orire Fareedah Omolola of Murphy-Tonia Schools, Lagos, emerged victorious with her essay, “My Role in Disaster Risk Reduction.” Onminyi Olive of Faith Academy, Goshen, Abuja, came second, while Isah Zainab Ize of Government Secondary School, Gwarinpa, Abuja, placed third.

Adelanwa Emmanuel Oluwatosin of the University of Ibadan won the tertiary category with an essay examining “Climate Change and Disaster Management in Nigeria.” Memunat Olawore Omobolanle of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, was runner-up, while Aminu Ibrahim Bello of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, took third place.

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The NYSC category was won by Dabagal Marylyn Mialmoen, whose entry explored the opportunities and challenges of technology in disaster response. Abiola Olamide Zion, serving in Adamawa State, finished second, while Stanley Sunday Iserhienrhien came third.

NEMA Director-General Zubaida Umar said the competition was created to get young Nigerians thinking more deeply about disaster prevention, preparedness and community resilience.

Umar, who was represented at the event by the agency’s Director of Internal Audit, Aliyu Waziri, said the number of entries received meant that the judging process had to be extended to ensure the final results met the required standards of fairness and transparency.

She said disaster management should become part of everyday life instead of being treated as something to consider only after an emergency has occurred.

Umar also praised the quality of the submissions, saying they demonstrated growing awareness among young Nigerians about disaster risks and ways of responding to them.

A media consultant to NEMA on the competition, Hakeem Bello, encouraged the participants to take the lessons from the contest back to their schools, institutions and communities.

He said the initiative was not simply about giving prizes to the best writers but about developing young people who understand that preventing disasters and preparing for them can save lives.

NEMA said finalists living outside Abuja would receive their prizes and certificates through the agency’s zonal directorates closest to them.

The competition is part of NEMA’s broader public awareness programme aimed at building a stronger culture of disaster prevention, preparedness and resilience across Nigeria.

 

NEMA Awards Three Essay Winners ₦500,000 Each