The need to promote education and skill development among students and youths of Ezinifite Aguata has been reemphasized as Potential Stars Garden, Ezinifite, in conjunction with the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Ezinifite Chapter marks the 2025 Ezinifite Best Students Challenge and Youth Symposium.
The programme themed: “Remaining a Champion” held at the Ezinifite Town Hall, Ezinifite, featured quiz competition, debating, talks, and awards presentation, among other activities.
At the keenly contested quiz competition, Chiemerie Umenwonu emerged as the overall best, smiling home with a cash prize of ₦100,000; Somtochukwu Okpalaeke clinched the second position with ₦70,000 cash prize, while Chijindu Emmanuel also received ₦50,000 for finishing third. Other participants also received various consolation prizes.
For the debate category, Benjamin Akuezue took the first position, receiving ₦50,000, while Ifeanyi Chinecherem and Mmadu Happiness won the second and third positions with ₦30,000 and ₦20,000 respectively. Also, the top four participants in the debate are to enjoy an educational tour to Solution Fun City, Awka as their reward.
Delivering a lecture titled “Remaining a Champion,” the Keynote Speaker, Revd. Canon Barr. Arinze Umeakuana charged the students to remain focused and resilient, describing a champion as one who excels in various aspects of life and refuses to be defined by failure.
The Vice President General, Ezinifite Improvement Union, UIU, Nze Obiora Egbudom, commended the organizers for their dedication to education and youth upliftment, announcing that plans are underway to build a community ICT center where youths can acquire computer skills free of charge, to make Ezinifite youths computer savvy by 2030.
Earlier in his welcome address, the coordinator, Potential Stars Garden, Ezinifite, Hon. Chukwuebuka Umenze, revealed that the programme, which began five years ago, has become an annual event, designed to promote education and skills development among youths to curb the get-rich-quick mentality and rekindle interest in learning.
Hon Umenze commended the sole sponsor of this year’s edition, Chief Cosmas Ilo, for his commitment to youth empowerment, and called on other well-meaning individuals from Ezinifite to support the initiative.
According to him, schools in the community were asked to present their four best senior students and two best junior students, who subsequently went through a rigorous screening and examination process to emerge as champions.
Some of the participants, including Ughadimma Ifeanyi and Umeako Amarachi, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the benefactors and promised to work harder to make the community proud.
The event also featured empowerment activities, presentation of whiteboards to schools, and awards presentations to Chief Cosmas Ilo, Prince Dr. Chibueze Oforbuike, Dr. Mrs Constance Uju Oranu, and Mrs Ebere Agwa for their consistent support to the youths of Ezinifite.
