Joy Agwunobi
Heirs Insurance Group has rewarded outstanding brilliance and creativity with a total of ₦10.5 million in scholarships and cash grants, as exceptional young writers and teachers emerged winners at the 2025 edition of the Heirs Insurance Essay Championship, a nationwide initiative celebrating academic excellence, financial literacy, and insurance awareness across Nigerian secondary schools.
The 2025 edition, which opened for entries in May and concluded with a grand finale at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, attracted a participation of over 5,000 junior secondary school students from all six geopolitical zones. Themed “The Role of Insurance in Keeping Families Safe and Secure,” the competition sought to inspire young Nigerians to explore how insurance contributes to family stability and financial resilience.
Following a rigorous selection process conducted by a distinguished panel of academic professionals and independently verified by Deloitte & Touche, 13-year-old Rhema-Love Abraham of Precepts Learning Field, Lagos, emerged as the overall winner of the competition. She received a ₦5 million scholarship and a ₦1 million grant for her school.
Bernice Michael of S-TEE High School, Lagos, clinched the second-place position, earning a ₦2 million scholarship, while Afopefoluwa Tofio-Jacobs of D-IVY College, Ogun State, secured third place with a ₦1 million scholarship.
In a major highlight of this year’s edition, Heirs Insurance Group introduced the Teachers’ Insurance Awareness Prize, designed to recognise and reward educators who actively promote financial literacy and insurance education in their schools and communities. The initiative underscores the Group’s broader vision to democratise access to insurance knowledge by working collaboratively with the education sector.
The inaugural Teachers’ Prize was awarded to Okpe James Chidi, a teacher at Urban Secondary School, Umuna Orlu in Imo State. He received a personal cash prize of ₦1 million, alongside a ₦500,000 grant for his school.
Chidi’s project commended for its innovation, measurable impact, and wide reach—focused on deepening students’ understanding of financial literacy and the importance of insurance as a tool for long-term security.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Niyi Onifade, sector head of Heirs Insurance Group, praised both students and teachers for their outstanding performance and creativity, reaffirming the company’s unwavering commitment to empowering the next generation through education.
“We are proud of every student and teacher who participated in this year’s Essay Championship.Their creativity, curiosity, and dedication reflect the kind of future we envision for our nation, one built on knowledge, innovation, and resilience. At Heirs Insurance Group, we believe that financial literacy is a powerful tool for empowerment and transformation,” Onifade said.
Now in its fourth year, the Heirs Insurance Essay Championship has become a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Heirs Insurance Group, providing a national platform for young Nigerians to engage with real-world economic and financial themes through writing and research. The introduction of the Teachers’ Insurance Awareness Prize, according to the Group, reinforces its mission to advance insurance education and foster financial inclusion across all levels of society.
Heirs Insurance Group, the insurance arm of Heirs Holdings, a leading pan-African investment company with operations across 24 countries and four continents continues to play a pivotal role in expanding insurance access and deepening financial literacy in Nigeria. Through its subsidiaries, Heirs General Insurance Limited, Heirs Life Assurance Limited, and Heirs Insurance Brokers, the Group serves both retail and corporate clients via an omnichannel digital platform and an expanding physical presence nationwide.
With initiatives such as the Essay Championship and the Teachers’ Prize, Heirs Insurance Group is strengthening the bridge between education and financial empowerment equipping young Nigerians and educators alike with the knowledge to build a safer, more secure future.
