Ibadan, Nigeria — The 2024 Chidera Anushiem Essay Contest, the first in an annual series in commemoration of the International Day of the Boy-child, has come to a successful end with three winners disclosed at the Ibadan Boys Conference held on Friday, May 17, 2024.
This year’s contest, which ran between April 23 and May 11, 2024, received 52 entries from male undergraduate students across Nigerian higher institutions on the topic, “Building a balanced future: The role of Boy-child Advocacy,” with 8 students making it to the shortlist.
Ayanfeoluwa Akinlalu, a 400-level student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka emerged as the first-prize winner, going home with ₦60, 000; Oluwafeyisemire Akinnola, a 400-level student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka emerged as the second-prize winner, with a ₦40, 000 prize; while Damilare Abulude, a 400-level student at the University of Ibadan emerged as the third-prize winner, with a ₦20, 000 prize.
Speaking on the essay contest, the Head of Marketing at Writinova, Williams Owoeye, noted that the startup’s decision to partner was due to Boys Without Borders’ track record in boy-child advocacy over the years.
“One of the core values we imbibe as a brand is assisting youths in achieving their ambitious goals. Looking at the fact that the welfare of the boy-child is not receiving enough attention, we saw a unique opportunity to render assistance by being one of the sponsors of the 2024 Chidera Anushiem Essay Contest.
We couldn’t be more proud of the success of the event because we know that the impact cuts across individuals who saw the essay topic and decided to simply look into it if it’s something that can be written about to people who eventually made the final submission. The contest has allowed them to learn at least one thing about the well-being of the boy-child. It is these seemingly little impact that cascades to make the major shift in perspective and mentality we hope to see in our society.
Of course, it had to be Boys Without Borders because they’ve demonstrated that this is an issue that they’ve been dedicated to for years through their innovative approach to awareness and interventions. We can’t wait to see these boys and men make a positive impact through the exposure and experience they’ve had at the IDBC conference,” Owoeye said.
