General News
A renowned philanthropist, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has launched a reading competition tagged ‘Education Champion’s League’ for secondary schools in Rivers.
The competition, which kickstarts its first reading in April, also has a N10 million prize tag for the winner.
Lulu-Briggs, an oil and gas businessman, made this known while officially unveiling the competition at a meeting and book review on Friday in Port Harcourt.
Represented by Mr Ikechukwu Orji, Lulu-Briggs said the essence of the competition was to create an atmosphere that would mould the youth to understand themselves better in their anticipated career.
According to him, participants will be spurred by the type of books selected for the competition.
“The competition is basically for secondary schools, it’s centered on reviving the reading culture.
“We will highlight on books witten about Nigeria and authored by Nigerians alongside recommended books in the secondary schools academic curriculum.
“We look forward to making the prizes attractive because it is worrisome that some competiions which did not really add value to our nation had attracted as much as N150 million prize.
“Sadly, intallectual works like mathematics competitions could barely attract N500,000 prize.
“On that note, we have decided to create something different to encourage young intallectuals to read; that is why we have pegged a N10 million prize for the winner, ” he said.
Lulu-Briggs also said that the prize money would be disbursed in a manner that the participants (students) would get 50 per cent.
According to him, N5 million will be paid to designated accounts nominated by the winner’s parent.
He said the winning school would be entitled to 25 per cent while 25 per cent would be used for purchase of books and furnishing of school’s library.
Dr Dakuku Peterside, former Director General of NIMASA, also a book reviewer at the event, stressed the need for parents to imbibe the reading culture in the young ones.
Focusing on a book titled ‘On a Platter of Gold’ by Bolaji Abdullahi, a former Sports Minister, Peterside said that the book spurred students’ sense of history.
He said students who read the book learnt lessons from past leaders, opened their imagination on happenings around the Presidential Villa and could tell stories of political interests capable of inspiring them for future challenges.
On his part, the meeting Convener, Mr Kingsley Wali, also emphasised the need to strengthen national unity through history and reading.
Three books – ‘On a Platter of Gold’ by Bolaji Abdullahi, ‘Becoming a News Titan’ by Chioma Ezewafor and ‘A Thousand Time on Same Road’ by China Acheru, were reviewed at the event.
Goldsprings High School, Seacrest Proprietary School and Dietams International School, all in Port Harcourt, participated in the book review. (NAN)
BBC
23rd March, 2024.
C.E.
Tags: Dumo Lulu-Briggs
