HOW I WON THE NSE ESSAY COMPETITION

How I won the NSE Essay Competition

Taiwo Ajireloja, a 500 Level  student of  Crop Production and Protection,  faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University recently added a feather to his cap when he clinched  the first prize in the highly competitive Nigeria Stock Exchange Essay competition on  Corporate Governance and the Nigerian Capital Market Development.

Attributed to Ann Landers, a U.S journalist is the quote that opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people obviously do not recognize them. Speaking on his efforts concerning the essay, he said, “It was actually on the award day that the winners were announced. Apart from the essays we submitted, we had to do a supervised exam where 20 top essayists were invited for the second level assessment and we wrote another essay on the spot. The topic was given to us on that day and it was the result that determined the eventual winners. 

A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. Although Taiwo’s gentle mien may conceal traits of a celebrity status, yet he is a ‘bigger boy’ with N300, 000 in shares of quoted companies, a plaque and certificate to his name.

How Taiwo did organize the essay that made it so outstanding to the judges?  “I started by breaking down the topic; for instance corporate governance and what it means, the principles of corporate governance, its importance in the development of the Nigerian capital market, etc. I also explained some things about the Nigerian capital market; how it operates and I established a relationship between how corporate governance can bring about the development of the Nigerian capital market. That was how the essay was organized”.

It is a common assumption that one does not expect much from science students when it comes to syntax and letters, but Taiwo proves otherwise. He believes writing helps to develop one’s knowledge owing to the nature of research that accompanies it.

When asked about how long he has been writing, Taiwo said he cannot really pinpoint a particular period but admitted to honing his skills right from his secondary school in Ilesa where the teachers encouraged students to write. He however confessed to being an avid reader of books and materials, especially those relating to economies. “It is the knowledge that I gain from reading these materials that I put into writing when needed”, he submitted.

Admonishing other young people, he said, “I want to say that a person that wants to improve must be ready to learn in different areas. Widening one’s scope by reading on different aspects of life (not just on a particular area of study) is also important.  I will encourage young people to be determined because it helps in overcoming challenges. Young people should also know that they can achieve anything through the power of God”.