Unilorin student emerges winner of NCC National Essay Competition

 

Ms. Esther Gbeja, a veterinary student of the University of Ilorin, has emerged winner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Essay Competition on Fifth Generation (5G) Technology.

The NCC organised a prize presentation ceremony for the 3rd National Essay Competition on Tuesday in Abuja.

The essay competition with the topic: “5G Technology: “Opportunities and Challenges” received over 1,820 submissions from students in about 97 higher institutions from all across the country, with four winners.

Abdulkarim Nasiru and MarcPatrick Efeni, were rewarded with the sum of N200, 000 each, for coming 3rd, Nosa Edosa, was rewarded sum of N300,000 for 2nd position and Esther Gbeja, got N500,000, for 1st position.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the commission was doing much to empower the youth in Nigeria, including the essay competition.

Speaking on the 5G deployment, he reiterated that the Federal Government would gain N75 billion from its spectrum auctioning in coming months.

The EVC further explained that the auction was software-based, adding that provision had been made for manual auction should the auction software fail during the process.

He informed that new entrants were allowed to participate in the in addition to existing licencees and only licencees with 100 per cent regulatory approval would be allowed to participate in the auction.

“The NCC is at the verge of auctioning Spectrum for the provision of 5G technology and we decided to take advantage of the moment by motivating challenging our youth to be innovative and as resourceful as their counterparts in advanced countries.

“The controversies surrounding COVID-19 and 5G technology is now in the past.

“I want to reassure you that the economic benefits of 5G to Nigeria post-coronavirus pandemic will be huge, especially as almost all businesses and activities of government are migrating and offering their services online.

“5G will enable a new kind of network to Nigerians that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects and devices.

“Nigeria’s vibrant youth population stands to benefit immensely from the deployment of 5G as it will offer technopreneurs, technology enthusiasts, SMEs and Tech-startups platform to expand and network with other global players on a scale that has never been witnessed before,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Essay Competition Committee, Mr Edoyemi Ogoh, said that the committee was guided by the commission’s guiding principles of being fair and upright in following the criteria to determine the winners.

He said that one of the objectives that the commission engaged youths from tertiary institutions across the country was to challenge themselves in the understanding and problem solving imperatives as well as essential new technologies.

Ogoh noted that NCC was a key stakeholder in the development and growth of the communications sector in the country.

“The commission recognises the act of innovative thinking in growing the communications industry in Nigeria.

“The commission engaged the youth to participate in tertiary institutions across the country to challenge themselves in the understanding and problem solving imperatives as well as essential new technologies, which is one of the objectives of the NCC in the essay competition,” he said.

Ms. Esther Gbeja, who came first spoke on behalf of other participants of the competition, she thanked the NCC and urged Nigerians to understand efforts of the Federal Government on the 5G technology.

Gbeja also called on the NCC to come up with creating awareness and involve professionals in the execution of the 5G.