NHEF Annual Scholarship Essay Competition for Undergraduate Students 2023

As always, the Essay competition aims to provide a unique platform that supports critical thinking amongst university students on topical socio-economic issues that are important in Nigeria’s sustainable growth and development.

Considering the country’s current financial and economic situation, this year’s competition focuses on “The CBN Naira redesign policy and its effect on the Nigerian economy & the consequence of increased brain drain on the economy”.

We encourage motivated students from all NHEF Partner Universities to apply and look forward to receiving your entries.

CHOOSE ONE BETWEEN THE TWO QUESTIONS BELOW

1. Leading to the recent currency redesign policy, the Central Bank of Nigeria reported that about 84.71% of the N3.23 trillion currency in circulation was outside the banking system. A situation described to be a risk to its currency management responsibility.

Using relevant examples, critically analyze the pros & cons of the monetary policy implementation and provide recommendations to the CBN for future policy implementation based on the consequent challenges experienced nationwide.

2. Article 13, section 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country“.

This statement agrees with the Nigerian constitution on the Right to Freedom of Movement. However, a significant increase in brain drain can be classified as an anomaly for any economy.

Critically analyze the factors causing human capital flight in Nigeria and recommend relevant solutions to safeguard the country’s economic growth and development.

CONTEST PRIZES

• The Grand Prize winner will be awarded ₦100,000, a new laptop, 1 online certificate course*, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.

• The First Runner-up will be awarded ₦75,000, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.

• The Second Runner-up will be awarded ₦50,000, a 1-year internet subscription** and 1 year of university tuition.

The online certificate course may not exceed $100 on Udemy, Coursera, Alison or EDX.

1-year internet subscription estimated at 24Gb on the winner’s preferred mobile network.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• This competition is only open to students enrolled at NHEF Partner Universities. NHEF will verify the enrolment of each contestant with the University Registrar.

• NHEF’s Partner Universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Kano, Kwara State University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Port Harcourt.

• Previous NHEF Essay Competition & Scholars Program beneficiaries are not eligible to participate in this competition.

ESSAY CRITERIA

Essays must abide by the following guidelines prior to submission:

• Entries should reflect the author’s ability to explore and discuss ideas / ethical concepts and demonstrate the conduct of research with a sufficiently detailed summary.

• Only one entry may be submitted per student.

• The essay must include a title page, a bibliography, and a scanned copy of the contestant’s current Student ID.

• The student’s name, university, and registration ID# must appear in the header of each page.

• The essay must not exceed 2000 words.

• It must be double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, and contain numbered pages with one-inch margins, excluding the bibliography and title page.

• References in the essay should be included and clearly identified.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

• The document naming convention should be as follows: 2023 NHEF Essay Competition – Name of Applicant, e.g., 2023 NHEF Essay Competition – Adekunle Ciroma Ahmed.

• Entries must be submitted in PDF format.

• All entries must be submitted via NHEF Application Portal (https://portal.thenhef.org/)  latest by 11:59 p.m. (WAT) on April 7, 2023.

• Students are encouraged to avoid plagiarism, as the essays will be checked for intellectual authenticity and against Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated content, e.g., ChatGPT.

This link contains a helpful guide on how to avoid plagiarism.

APPLICATION PORTAL GUIDE

• Log on to the NHEF application portal: https://portal.thenhef.org/.
• Register by creating an account on the portal: enter your first and last name, email address, phone number, and password.

• After registering, verify your email address by checking the inbox of the email address you registered with. Click the link or copy the URL to your internet browser.
• Once your account has been validated, log in using the email address and password you created.
• Proceed to the application and select the essay application from the dashboard.
• On the application page, provide the following information: gender, contact address, institution attended, course of study, registration/matriculation number, and answer all other questions.
• Ensure your essay entry is saved as PDF and upload it.
• Review your responses and submit your application.
• Note: You can save your application and continue at your convenience before the application deadline.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Scholarship and Award prizes will be automatically revoked if the student does not attend an eligible NHEF Partner University. Winners will be announced online and via social media channels (NHEF Facebook account, NHEF Instagram account, NHEF Twitter account, and NHEF Website).

Winners will be contacted using the information provided during application submission. The NHEF will make reasonable attempts to contact winners following official announcements – failure to claim prizes within 30 days of the announcement date and/or unsatisfactory academic standing/academic probation will result in immediate forfeiture.

DISCLAIMER

Submitted essays will become the property of the NHEF. The NHEF may reprint the essays in its mediums and publications. Appropriate citations will be given to all authors.