Ifeoma Nnamani has emerged overall winner of the Peace Write Now writing contest organised by the Embassy of Ireland on the theme ‘Fostering Sustainable Peace and Dialogue in Nigeria’.
The winners include Ifeoma Nnamani (in first place), Damilola Adeniran (second), Stephen Angbulu (third), Ehi’zogie Emmanuel (fourth), and Samsudeen Quadri (fifth).
Officially titled Peace Write Now, the core objective of the competition was to serve as a platform for the youth to discuss roles they can play in fostering sustainable peace in Nigeria, while drawing lessons from the Northern Ireland peace process, an agreement that was ratified both in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The contest, which got a total of seven hundred entries from across Nigeria, afforded youths between 18 and 30 years of age an opportunity to share innovative ideas on ways to resolve conflict and insecurity in various parts of the country.
During the awards ceremony that was hosted by Ambassador Sean Hoy in his residence in Abuja, he congratulated all entrants, particularly the top five candidates for sharing their ideas and taking the time to engage with other young people.
The first-place winner received a cash prize of €500 (cash grant for books), second €250 (cash grant for books), third €100 (cash grant for books), fourth a book on peace building signed by the Ambassador and a certificate of appreciation, and fifth a certificate of appreciation.
There were musical performances and spoken word poetry that revolved around the theme of the event. The interactive session, which gave participants the opportunity to voice their opinions as well as highlight the need for young people to work together in order to turn their ideas into actionable steps.
In the coming weeks and months, the Embassy of Ireland plans to build on the success of the programme by increasing the level of engagement with the youth across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria based on lessons learned from the writing contest.
A selection of essays will also be published in a book and authors will receive a copy each.
