Ulog Day 6: I won a National Essay Contest and was Honoured

Today was a memorable one for me and other 9 young Nigerians. We were honoured by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for finishing tops in a national essay contest.

Approximately a month ago, the United Nations Population Fund announced they would honour the life and works of late Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin who was the executive director of the organisation from 2011 until his death. In addition, Prof. Osotimehin was remarkable for so many things. He was once the chairman of National Action Committee on Aids (NACA), a Nigerian organisation saddled with the responsibility of combating HIV/AIDS. He also served as Nigeria's health minister.

I wrote on the topic, New Solutions To A Recurrent Pain Point: Protecting The Sexual And Reproductive Health Right Of Adolescents And Young People In Nigeria. In my work, I outlined the problems with protection of sexual and reproductive health rights of young ones in Nigeria and proposed a plausible solution to them. Initially, I was reluctant to write when I saw the advert for the contest. No thanks to busy schedules and my studies. Lol. I thank God I finally mustered the courage to write. I was not expecting to emerge as one of the winners owing to the fact that I submitted my entry just few minutes to the deadline and did not have the chance to proofread my work.

I was glad when I was contacted and invited for the grand ceremony at Sheraton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria's Federal capital city.

It was a wonderful experience. Dignitaries from different parts of the country and beyond were in attendance. Prof. Isaac Adewole, Nigeria's Minister of Health gave a lecture on the topic, "Implication of the Population of 190 Million on Economic Development and Health/Wellbeing of Future Generations of Nigerians ". There were music and dance interludes too.

The event was rounded off in a grand style with a sumptuous dinner at BlueCabana Restaurant and Cafe were we were treated with different drinks and delicacies of our choice.

It was an opportunity to taste some foreign delicacy.

I'll be flying back to Enugu tomorrow. Did I forget to tell you? All expense - flight, hotel accommodation, dinner, etc. was catered for by the United Nations Population Fund.

So that's basically how my day went. I thank God for the opportunity. It feels good when you put in effort and it pays off. Doesn't it?

I am @winningman