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THE AFRICAN SUN TIMES
Acclaimed "Champion of the African Agenda in America,"
Is Very Pleased to Announce:
WINNERS OF THE AFRICAN UNION
ESSAY AWARD COMPETITION
Topic: THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY AND GOOD
GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA
NEW YORK, New York, July 9, 2003 - The African Sun Times today proudly
announced the winners of the African Union Essay Award Competition. The Essay
Competition was instituted to celebrate the first year anniversary of the African
Union, launched on July 9, 2002, in Durban, South Africa. The essay
competition was open to high school and college students worldwide. Essays were
received from all parts of the world, including Singapore. However, the bulk of
the entries originated from Nigeria.
In making the announcement today, Dr. Chika A. Onyeani, Publisher and
Editor-in-Chief of the African Sun Times, said he was very proud of the hard work
that the competitors had done in presenting very thought-provoking insights into
the problems facing Africa on the question of "democracy and good governance."
"Many of the essays are so good," said Onyeani, "I wish everybody who
submitted their essay could have won. But, in any competition, there will always be
winners and losers. And I want to thank all the competitors, as well as
congratulate the winners."
Onyeani said a special mention must be made of the excellent work presented
byLOUISA CHIKA UKAEGBU of the History Department, University of Nigeria,
Usukka. "Because of her efforts, the Times has decided to present her with a
special award of $50.00"
Dr. Onyeani went on to applaud the competitors' embrace of information
technology through their use of the internet. "It shows what Africans can do given
the right technology. We need to encourage our youth, through whatever means,
to train and adapt the technology," he said.
The essays, which will be published in subsequent issues of the African Sun
Times and on the online edition - www.africansuntimes.com - are being sent to
the Chair (formerly Secretary-General) of the African Union Commission in Addis
Ababa, as well as the African Union Permanent Representative to the United
Nations in New York. The winning essays are also being sent to the Africa
Division of the State Department in Washington, DC, and to the U.S. Ambassador in
Nigeria.
A plaque will be presented to all the winners in later time.
Dr. Onyeani said that, since all the winners originated from Nigeria, Ms. Ola
Ifezulike, Deputy Managing Director of Afribank, the fourth largest bank in
Nigeria, has agreed to represent the African Sun Times in presenting the
winners with their prize money before or by the scheduled presentation date of
August 22, 2003.
In deciding the winners, the Times set a panel of three judges. Each judge
had to read all the essays and assign a point-system of 1-10, ten being the
highest score and one being the lowest. The three judges' scores were collated
and tabulated, and the competitors with the highest scores won.
The winner for the number one spot is GABRIEL IKECHUKWU ORJI, who is in the
Library and Information Science Department of the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka. He will receive $500.00. "I will use the prize money to further my
education and to help the less privileged in my society," wrote Gabriel.
On the "Future of Democracy and Good Governance in Africa," Gabriel wrote,
"The African socio-economic and political scenario have been replete with sad
moments, some of them quite bizarre and others theatrical. Never in world
history has any region seen governance of the worst kind. The periods predating the
1990s were especial. The interregnum not only occasioned a preponderance of
sombre experiences too numerous for recall, but also typified a natural realm of
Hobbesian imagination. The African political and military elites, at the
period, made mockery of governance and acted with flagrance to subvert democratic
institutions. In consequence, initial efforts to lay solid democratic
structures in the old and nascent states were scuttled. The epoch witnessed, not only
a myriad of coups and counter-coups, but also saw the strangulation of the
continent by tyrants and dictators. Rulers who clearly lacked the enthusiasm and
wherewithal required for efficient governance were perpetuated in power,
either through perfected electoral fraud or brute force."
The second place winner is EMMANUEL OLABODE ASIYANBI of the Department of
Biology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, who wrote "I
intend giving a part of the prize money, if won, to a rehabilitation centre (St.
Mary Rehabilitation Center, Ipetumodu, Osun State. The rest would go to my
savings towards getting a personal computer." Emmanuel's prize money is $250.00.
Emmanuel writes of "Democracy and the Future of Good Governance," "We can
also say democracy and good governance, in economic parlance,
are both in joint demand. They belong together just like a car is another
piece of useless machine without gasoline and gasoline without a car to run
it with is just another kind of fuel like firewood. So one without the other
is either redundant or underutilized in product and in value. In Africa, the
history of democracy and good governance has been a checkered one. Most of the
democratic institutions put into place when most African countries gained
independence went through tumultuous times. As some were
tethering on the edge of the abyss of pandemonium and chaos, others virtually
collapsed, heralding the advent of military juntas, anarchy, civil strife,
full scale war and phony democracy where it was only democracy by the word but
autocracy, plutocracy and what have you in the truer sense."
The third place winner is EMMANUEL CHUKWUKA OLUIGBO of the Department of
History and English, Faculty of Arts, University of Nigeria, Usukka. Writes
Emmanuel, "The major part of the price money will go into the publication of my
collection of poems, some into further research on Africa, while the rest will go
into my upkeep." Emmanuel's winning prize is $250.00.
"It has been proved," writes Emmanuel, "that democracy is the most widely
acclaimed form of government the world over. As opposed to other forms,
democratic forms of government have proved to be the surest safeguard of individual
liberties; the principles and values of freedom, equality, public interest,
and rights of individuals are best protected in a democratic setting. More
importantly, democracy ushers in good governance. Whether or not one supports the
arguments in favour of the so-called home-grown democracy in Africa, which
scholars say must take cognisance of our lived
realities,and structures and institutions which must reflect the
perculiarities of our African environment to sustain itself, what is even more important
is that Africa could well attain, if not exceed, the level
already attained by the West, if only we have the will. After all said and
done, let it be stated categorically that the ultimate establishment of an
enduring democracy in Africa will truly usher in lasting peace and a final
end to the unending fratricidal wars occasioned by incessant power
tussles, as well as political stability, unity and oneness, equality and
fairness, security of lives and property, protection of human rights, political,
social and economic freedom, an era of economic prosperity and advancement,
and an end to the endemic poverty, diseases and deaths which have beleaguered
Africa for decades on end, and above all, ensure the
continuity of the African continent."
Again, the African Sun Times takes this opportunity to thank all the
competitors and congratulate the winners. The African Sun Times will, in the next few
days, announce a new round of competition for AFRICAN LEADERSHIP, not
restricted to students and will carry a higher prize money. The winners of this
competition will be announced on January 1, 2004.
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