African technology giant, SystemSpecs, has expressed its support for the use of technology in enhancing Nigeria’s national security amidst current threats to the security and unity of the country. This support was manifested recently as the leading innovative payment and human capital management technology firm hosted winners of its 2021 Children’s Day Essay Competition in a recently held event at its headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Now in its second year, the SystemSpecs Children’s Day Essay Competition is organized in furtherance of the technology firm’s commitment to the development of indigenous IT capacity for national prosperity.
Themed “Building a more Secure Nigeria using Technology”, over 2000 entries were received from pupils between 9 and 16 years old from about secondary schools across the country in the 2021 SystemSpecs Children’s Day Essay Competition, a 30 percent increase from the previous year. The entries were sent online, via an internet portal.
Executive Director of SystemSpecs, Deremi Atanda, said the company is thrilled about the number of entries that came from Borno State, an area at the grip of Boko Haram’s deadly insurgency.
“It shows that even in times like this, people are interested in advancing national interest,” Atanda remarked.
He also praised the resilience of the participants and their schools. “There were some schools that had just one entry, and you could see the weight of an entire community behind that single submission.
“Some went all the way to seek internet access in remote locations from them to send their entries. That resonates well with our objective of intervention in building capacity for the IT industry in Nigeria,” Atanda said.
12-year-old Chetachi Best Mbalu of Lagooz College, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos emerged winner in the junior category, while 15-year-old Uchenna Rita Ohiaeri of Queensland Academy, Okota, Lagos emerged winner in the senior category.
Besides the prizes presented to the winners, SystemSpecs donated 15 laptops to the winning school in the senior category, and 10 laptops to the winning school in the junior category.
In his remarks, the special adviser to the president on education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, called the SystemSpecs Children’s Day Essay Competition, “a step in the right direction” and encouraged the company’s leadership to “keep up the good work”.