Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, has hailed Christ the King College (CKC), Onitsha, Anambra State for emerging victorious at the prestigious World Affairs Challenge (WAC) 2024.
CKC, which is the secondary school Obi attended, represented Nigeria at the competition, securing the coveted global first-place position.
This feat, which occurred on Wednesday, marks the first time Nigeria is clinching Gold in the competition’s 32-year history.
The World Affairs Challenge, organised by WorldDenver, empowers high school students to develop innovative solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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, 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.
The project, “Wise Tales by Primus” aims to raise awareness and inspire positive change among young people.
Reacting to the feat on a post on X on Wednesday, Obi said the news was heartwarming, and bold testament to the true greatness and unlimited potential of the Nigerian people.
“I just received the heartwarming report of the outstanding victory of the Nigerian School, Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha, Anambra State that just emerged overall winner at the prestigious World Affairs Challenge (WAC) 2024, organized by World Denver,” he said.
“According to reports, this is the first time Nigeria is clinching Gold in the competition’s 32-year history. The Nigerian school, CKC Onitsha, defeated other teams from around the world, including the USA, and Turkey, to lift the highly coveted trophy.
“This is a great feat and a bold testament to the true greatness and unlimited potential of the Nigerian people. The Nigerian students, through their winning project – Wize Tales by Primus, aimed to contribute their solutions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by developing initiatives that will empower Nigerian youths to become active agents of change in society. I congratulate them for remaining on the path of victory till the very end.
“I recall earlier in January when they won the awards of both National Champions and Regional Top in the Africa Regional competition of this same World Affairs Challenge. I rejoiced with them and urged them to remain focused on the global victory.
“I am glad that they have now lifted the global title and brought honour to our nation. Their victory reinforces my consistent position on the need to invest in education.
“The award-winning school, CKC Onitsha, was among the schools I returned to the donor agencies, and supported heavily, as the Governor of Anambra State. I am very delighted with the great heights they have so far attained. In the New Nigeria of our dream, investment in education, for national development will remain a priority.”
Meanwhile, CKC Onitsha’s journey started at the African Regional Competition, where they were named the highest-scoring Nigerian team and the 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 indexes 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 TEVITOL High School, Turkey, came in third and second place, respectively.
Speaking on the win, 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.”
Adding to the excitement, the CKC Onitsha team will travel to Denver, Colorado, USA, later this month for the award ceremony! There, they will showcase their project to a global audience and connect with other young leaders.
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