…Former President Obasanjo commends team UNICAL
Students of the University of Calabar International Demonstration Secondary School have clinched the overall best awards in the just concluded National Schools Entrepreneurship Exhibition and Award held between 24-28 June at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Craft House Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) team from UNICAL secondary school were represented by Destiny Omokiti Efemena, Anthony Shalom Ogumiyie, Oti-Ashong Danielle, Atulomah Oluchi and Okon Daniel Greatman.
The representative of UNICAL Secondary Schools came out best in “Best Social Impact Business Project, Award Prize for Sustainable Development Goals, Good Health and Wellbeing and Best Cultural Presentation”.
The students also emerged as the most Outstanding Team on their project which was a creation of a device for mental health.
They featured and advised the government on the need to make adequate budgetary provision for mental health in the country with a view to curb and reduce the consequences of suicide.
They are to represent Nigeria in an entrepreneurial competition at Rwanda in August this year.
While welcoming the victorious team at the Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, leader of the group, Miss Oti-Ashong Danielle, described the competition as “awesome and thought provoking”.
She said that SAGE is an entrepreneurship programme that helps young vibrant students to bring out innovative ideas and how they can help to follow or solve the Sustainable Development Goals or the unmet needs in rural communities.
“Our team has travelled wide; we have won six championships and have represented Nigeria in Ukraine, South Korea, San Francisco and many other countries.
“SAGE has helped in bringing us out to the world to see how we can solve unmet needs in our communities. We are happy that in all the competitions we have attended, we have emerged victorious,” she said.
On their part, Destiny, Ogumiyie, Oluchi and Greatman, who spoke on the project, said that mental health has become the most neglected health in the health sector.
The students noted that people seems not to consider their mental health because they think it’s all about been mad or been mentally unstable.
They observed that mental health comprises of depression, suicide, substance abuse amongst others.
High point of the competition was the commendation from the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who was the host of the entrepreneurship competition.
In her goodwill message, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Banku Obi, said that the news of the students’ victorious outing in the competition did not come to her and the entire University community as a surprise, adding that the students have been winning laurels at national and global stages.
“We know that hard work went into that competition. This is not the first time they are winning laurels for the University; they have won many of such at global and national competitions.
“At this point, I want to charge them to subdue and conquer their world. As they prepare to go out for the global competition, they should know that they are carrying the banner of UNICAL and the flag of Nigeria.
“We welcome them with happiness; we are so happy and proud of them. I will receive them when I am back to Calabar,” she said.
