Victoria Ogoke, a student of Journalism and Media Studies at Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), has emerged the winner of the 2025 Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Library (ZODML) Poetry Competition, beating contestants from tertiary institutions across the country.
Ogoke was declared the overall winner out of the 2,356 contestants that applied for the poetry contest from 140 different tertiary institutions, which was down to 10 and subsequently to five.
Her poem titled ‘Harvest Never Rich’ was considered the best of the final five contenders. The theme of the 2025 ZODML poetry challenge was “Seeds of Tomorrow”.
Rachael Ajisafe, a Law student from Olabisi Onabanjo University, emerged the first runner-up, while Eliongema Udofia, from University of Uyo, got the second runner-up position.
Fadipe Ajoke, a Nursing student at the College of Nursing Science Igbobi-Lagos, and Roseline Igbokwe, a Medicine and Surgery student at Abia State University, Uturu, secured the fourth and fifth position respectively.
For emerging the overall best, Ogoke won a prize money of N500,000, Ajisafe got N300,000, and Udofia was given the sum of N200,000; while Ajoke and Igbokwe got N100,000 each.
Ifeoma Esiri, executive chairman at ZODML, in her speech at the prize presentation in Lagos, explained that the poetry competition demonstrates the love the organisation has for learning and students.
She expressed her delight that every single city in Nigeria, including the FCT, had a submission coming in from the university in those states.
“Students are dear to the heart of ZODML and I’m happy that so many of you have come here today. This year, the ZODML poetry prize has been extraordinary, and that gives us a sense of the achievement, especially, the five poets that were shortlisted out of the over 2,000 entries,” she said.
She emphasised that the achievement of the five shortlisted students is a pointer to what a public tertiary institution can produce; stressing that it was a deliberate decision to restrict the competition to just students in public institutions.
“We know these institutions are where there isn’t too much opportunity for the students, and we felt we would focus on these students and we have been amazed at the quality of what’s coming out of these students
“We hope and believe in a public tertiary institution to produce students that can create the sort of work that these shortlisted poets have created,” she noted.
Speaking about the theme of this year’s contest, “Seeds for Tomorrow”, Esiri said it is a perfect testament to a seed, which is a small thing with potential to produce great things.
“Seeds carry unrealised and unseen potential, but the potential a seed carries is always undeniable,” she said.
However, she reiterated that in times when the world feels unpredictable and fast moving, people often forget that everything had a small beginning.
“In watching the growth of our youth in this country, we know that it’s rarely glamorous in its early stages because it requires patience, nurturing and the courage to push through difficult times,” she stated.
Chioma Ilozumba, a lawyer and playwright, who spoke on behalf of the judges which include Aduke Gomez, a poet and author, and Tade Padeola, explained that the entries were collated through the website, and that the condition was that the contestant must be a student of a public tertiary institution in Nigeria.
Besides, she emphasised that no age benchmarks were placed on contestants, and that the entries were collated anonymously and signed with numbers.
“We don’t know who is who, we just know number 10, or 12, and there was no pre-shop listing, which means that every single entry was sent to the judges.
“Some of our parameters in selecting the poems include the ability to stick to the theme. The winning poem was unanimous; every judge had that poem as their number one poem,” she explained.
Folasade Ogunsola, vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), represented by Augustine Wagbara, head of department, Department of English at UNILAG, applauded the contestants, emphasizing that such a competition is at the heart of the university.
“This activity is most welcome and is dear to the heart of the university. What it brings to us is the emerging youth project and the creativity that goes with youth dynamism.
“As a university, our role is to nurture minds to create the future, through thought, imagination, and ideas,” she noted.
The vice-chancellor further urged the students to embrace excellence in all they do, and highlighted that there will always be challenges in life; but what matters is how one manages his or her challenges.
“How you manage your challenges will always decide what you get in life. The only instrument that does not fail is excellence.
“It comes with discipline, if you can have the discipline of excellence that is the only politics you have to play,” she noted.
