Organisers of Bishop Mike Okonkwo national essay competition for secondary school students in Nigeria have opened applications for the 2025 edition of the competition.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports entries for the landmark edition of the Bishop Mike Okonkwo national essay competition opened on Monday, March 17, 2025, and will run through Friday, June 20, 2025.
Rev. Anthony Samuel, who made this known in a statement on behalf of the Corporate Affairs Department on Monday, disclosed that the theme for this year’s competition is: “The Nigeria of Our Dreams: Today’s Reality and a Responsible Pathfinder”.
“To participate in the 20th Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition, students must submit an essay (maximum 1,200 words) along with the following details: full name, address, telephone number, school name, class, and the principal’s telephone number,” the statement reads.
TNG reports the 2025 edition of the Bishop Mike Okonkwo national essay competition is a landmark edition of the national essay competition to mark the 80th birth anniversary of Bishop Mike Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM).
As a result, the winners’ prices have been increased, and according to Rev. Samuel, the first prize winner will receive a cash prize of N1,000,000, a laptop, and a plaque.
“The winning student’s school will also receive a desktop computer and a trophy. The first runner-up will receive N600,000, a laptop, and a plaque, while their school will be awarded a desktop computer.
“The second runner-up will be awarded N400,000, a laptop, and a plaque, with their school also receiving a desktop computer,” he stated.
According to Rev. Anthony, all essays should be submitted in Word document format via email to essay@trem.org.
Recall that the Bishop Mike Okonkwo national essay competition was instituted in 2004 as part of TREM’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, aimed at fostering critical thinking and analytical skills in students to prepare them for success.
Over the years, the Bishop Mike Okonkwo national essay competition has contributed to raising the standard of education in Nigeria.
In 2024, the topic of the competition was “Nigeria’s pathways: Diagnosis and prescriptions”, while in 2023, the topic was “Nigerianisation of Nigerians: A look inward” and 2022, “Nigeria, a country at war against itself: The problems, the solutions and the way forward”.
“This year’s competition is a special edition. The first prize winner will receive a cash prize of N1,000,000, a laptop, and a plaque.
“Additionally, this event is part of the activities celebrating the birthday of the Patron, Dr. Mike Okonkwo, which is especially significant this year as he turns 80,” Rev. Samuel revealed.
TNG reports Dr. Okonkwo as the Presiding Bishop of TREM, also known as Power in the Word, with over 200 branches in Nigeria and around the world, is an Apostle to this generation, having impacted millions globally through his ministry.
A father figure to many and a pastor to pastors, Okonkwo is a dynamic conference speaker, crusade evangelist, national spokesman for Nigeria, and advocate of balanced Christianity.
In his commitment to nation-building, Dr. Okonkwo established the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture in 2000. The lecture addresses key challenges facing the nation and proposes meaningful solutions.
Over time, the lecture has become a key platform for influencing government policy, bringing together distinguished individuals to discuss pressing national issues.
The Mike Okonkwo national essay competition was birthed from this platform, and both events culminate on the same day, with the essay topic aligning with the theme of the annual lecture.
In 2012, Dr. Okonkwo was honored with the National Honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR).
Bishop Mike Okonkwo is married to Bishop Peace Okonkwo, and they are blessed with a daughter and son-in-law.