Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha, Anambra State, has broken a 32 year old jinx when it defeated its rivals from United States of America (USA) and other countries of the world to clinch the coveted gold and global first-place position at the 2024 World Affairs Challenge (WAC).
This victory marks the first time Nigeria is lifting the gold trophy and emerging first in the world, having participated in the competition for 32 years.
The World Affairs Challenge, organised by WorldDenver, empowers high school students to develop innovative solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, students tackled critical issues like climate change, poverty, and inequality.
The students, Ekufu Ernest, Obuna Somtochukwu, Umeodinka Emmanuel, Ejike Ekene, and Ubah Jason, led by their coach, Mr. John Onuigbo, impressed the judges with their impactful project, “Wise Tales by Primus,” a captivating series of digital comic stories addressing environmental degradation, climate change, and substance abuse.
“Wise Tales by Primus” aims to raise awareness and inspire positive change among young people.
CKC Onitsha’s journey started at the African Regional Competition, where they were named the highest-scoring Nigerian team and top five in Africa.
The team proceeded to pitch in the virtual global finals, and following a rigorous evaluation, the team’s in-depth understanding and passionate delivery during the final Q&A session left a lasting impression.
Delivering the judgment, the judges paid glowing tributes to the team’s outstanding performance, “Excellent presentation and applications of SMART indices with extraordinary action plans for global outreach through language translation and website creative solutions dynamics.
This is innovative, creative, and illustrious, the judges said.”
“Today, they were officially declared the World Affairs Challenge 2024 Global Champion, surpassing teams from all over the globe participating in the championship. Redmond High School, WA, USA, and TEVITÖL High School, Turkey, came in third and second place, respectively.
The school principal, Rev. Fr. Celestine Arinze Okafor, said, “CKC Onitsha’s victory extends beyond the competition.
“It signifies the immense potential and innovative spirit of Nigerian youth, who not only secured a historic win but also inspired others to tackle global challenges with creativity and dedication. These boys deserve all the support they can get to build and push their project to millions of users, he said.”
The CKC Onitsha team are expected to travel to Denver, Colorado, USA, later this month for the award ceremony! There, they will showcase their project to a global audience.
