By Adesina Wahab

Entries have opened for the Bishop Mike Okonkwo 2026 National Essay Competition where students in secondary schools across the country will compete for various prizes and cash awards.

A statement by Rev. Anthony Samuel for Corporate Affairs Department, TREM International Headquarters, Lagos, said entries opened on March 16, 2026, and would close on June 30, 2026.

The topic is “Democracy at the crossroads: Electoral credibility, judicial integrity and the future of Nigeria.”
All submissions should be emailed to [email protected] and hard copies can also be dropped at TREM International Headquarters, Anthony Oke Bus Stop, Gbagada, Lagos.

First place winner will receive a cash prize of N800,000, a laptop, and a plaque. The winner’s school receives a desktop computer and a plaque.

First runner-up: N500,000, a laptop, and a plaque. The school receives a desktop computer. Second runner-up: N400,000, a laptop, and a plaque. The school receives a desktop computer.

Since its establishment in 2004, the annual National Essay Competition for Nigerian secondary school students has aimed to develop good writing skills, foster critical thinking, and encourage engagement with trending national issues through academic narratives. It has attracted over 20,000 student participants and serves as a significant platform for intellectual discourse on national issues.

The initiative was instituted in 2004 as part of Bishop Mike Okonkwo’s corporate social responsibility and is tied to his annual birthday celebration, enabling Nigerian students to display and engage in intellectual discourse on national issues.

Dr. Mike Okonkwo is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), with over 30 years of dedicated ministry. He preaches the power of the Word to a multicultural audience and leads a ministry with more than 180 branches in Nigeria and ten countries worldwide. Recognized as an apostle to this generation, he has impacted millions and serves as a father to many and a pastor to pastors globally. Beyond the pulpit, he is a conference speaker, crusade evangelist, author, and television and radio host, as well as a respected voice advocating balanced Christianity in Nigeria.

He studied at the Morris Cerullo School of Ministry and Covington Theological Seminary in the USA and holds several doctorate degrees and honorary awards. Dr. Okonkwo is the Convener of the Communion of Covenant Ministers International (CCMI), which mentors and networks pastors through conferences and seminars. He also co-hosts the National Ministers Conference (NMC) and serves as a Trustee and member of the National Advisory Council of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

As a committed advocate for the less privileged, he founded the Empowerment for the Less Privileged (ELP) Foundation, an NGO that alleviates hardship through hospital donations, free vocational training centers, preparatory schools for secondary students, health awareness campaigns, and scholarships for talented students.

Working alongside his wife through the Women of Global Impact initiative, Bishop Mike Okonkwo sponsors free cervical screening for rural women and provides annual food and clothing donations to less-privileged women, especially widows. A peace-loving leader, he also risked his life to mediate reconciliation during the Ogbunike communal clash, helping restore the lasting peace the town enjoys today.