Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition 2025 Opens For Submissions

The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) has announced the start of the 20th Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary School Students in Nigeria.

The competition, a key initiative of Dr. Mike Okonkwo’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, aims to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills, preparing them for future success and contributing to the advancement of education in Nigeria.

According to a press release signed by Rev. Anthony Samuel, Corporate Affairs Department, TREM headquarters, the competition will begin on Monday, March 17, 2025 and end on Friday, June 20, 2025.

The theme of this year’s competition is “The Nigeria of Our Dreams: Today’s Reality and a Responsible Pathfinder.” This theme encourages students to reflect on the current state of the nation and propose actionable solutions for a better future.

Secondary school students are invited to participate by submitting essays of up to 1,200 words on the chosen theme.

Essays must be submitted in Word document format via email to essay@trem.org.

Along with their essays, students must include their full name, address, phone number, school name, class, and the principal’s number.

This year’s competition offers significant rewards to the top performers.

The first prize winner will receive ₦1,000,000, a laptop, and a plaque.

Their school will also receive a desktop computer and a trophy. The first runner-up will receive ₦600,000, a laptop, and a plaque, while their school will get a desktop computer.

The second runner-up will receive ₦400,000, a laptop, and a plaque. Their school will also receive a desktop computer.

The competition is especially significant this year because it coincides with the 80th birthday celebration of Dr. Mike Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of TREM, a ministry with over 200 branches worldwide.

Dr. Okonkwo, a well-known Apostle, national spokesman, and advocate for balanced Christianity, is committed to nation-building, as evidenced by the establishment of the Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture in 2000, which addresses critical national challenges and proposes solutions.

The Essay Competition was born from this platform and follows the same theme as the lecture.

Dr. Okonkwo was awarded the National Honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) in 2012.

He married Bishop Peace Okonkwo, and they have a daughter and a son-in-law.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, June 20, 2025.