… as Fidelity Bank unveils anthology from the 2024 Read2Lead competition
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, managing director/chief executive officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, has urged parents to instil the culture of reading and writing in, because of the immense benefits of cultivating a reading lifestyle.
Onyeali-Ikpe made the call during the launch of the anthology from the 2024 Read2Lead competition held in Lagos on Tuesday, May 27, to commemorate the 2025 Children’s Day celebration.
“What we’re trying to do is to encourage the reading culture; as a bank, we discovered that the reading and writing culture was gradually dying in Nigeria.
“We’re encouraging parents to teach their children to read and write because it will help them when they grow older,” she said.
She explained that the Read2Lead initiative, which started in 2024, has engaged over 3,000 students from all 36 states of Nigeria.
“We provided books and numerous creative writing opportunities to encourage young people to read more broadly, write more clearly, and think more creatively. In many ways, each book they read and each story they wrote was a deposit, an investment in their minds and in their future.
“Today is more than just the closing chapter of the maiden edition of Read2Lead. It is a celebration of vision, effort, and promise. When we started the creative writing and reading competition called Read2Lead last year, our vision was to revive a dying reading and writing culture among young people,” she noted.
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According to the Fidelity Bank boss, the competition lasted over three stages and saw 30 finalists emerge from an initial 3,000+ applicants. The top 30 finalists were tasked with writing an essay titled “Naija Superheroes” because every Nigerian have needed a hero at one stage in his/her life.
She explained that the students’ submissions were carefully compiled into a collection of superhero stories, with each story presenting a unique and fresh perspective to the same situation.
“It gives me great pride to unveil these beautiful stories that have been written by brilliant young Nigerians who have shown us the future is indeed bright,” she said.
Onye3ali-Ikpe emphasised that the Read2Lead is not just a competition, but a platform to unleash potential, exemplifying the firm’s belief that every child who learns to express themselves through reading and writing is better equipped to lead, to innovate, and to contribute meaningfully to society.
She applauded the teachers, parents, and judges, among others, who made the competition possible by encouraging the youngsters to read and write.
“You have not only encouraged young writers, you have played a vital role in shaping Nigeria’s future leaders. May you find joy and pride in every page of this anthology, just as I did.
“As you read the stories in this collection, I invite you to see them not just as words on a page, but as seeds of greatness; seeds we are planting today with the hope that they will grow into strong trees of wisdom, character, and leadership,” Onyeali-Ikpe said.
Four outstanding winners were given N150,000 each for their excellent literary works. The recipients of the monetary reward include Osinachi Onyeaghala, Thiago Agada, Victory Chukwuebuka, and Nabeela Rufia.
The Fidelity Bank’s ‘Read to Lead’ competition embodies a clear mission, which is to empower young minds, nurture creativity, and instil a lifelong passion for reading and writing.
According to Meksley Nwagboh, divisional head of brand and communications at Fidelity Bank Plc, “Children who participate in the competition stand a chance to win a N2 million publishing deal, N2 million cash prize, and a N2 million donation to renovate his or her school library.
Iremide Ogunyemi, a student of The Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, won N2 million cash, a publishing deal worth N2 million and another N2 million to upgrade her school’s library after emerging the star prize winner of the inaugural edition of the Read2Lead writing competition.
