The Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative on Thursday held the grand finale of its National Tertiary Institution Essay Competition on AI Literacy and Responsible Technology Use in Ilorin, Kwara State, bringing together students, academics, policymakers and technology advocates.

The competition, themed "Artificial Intelligence for Public Good: Balancing Innovation, Human Welfare, and Responsible Governance," focused on ethical artificial intelligence, digital literacy and responsible technology use among Nigerian youths.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of BBYDI, Nurah Jimoh-Sanni, said the initiative was designed to encourage young Nigerians to critically examine both the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies.

According to her, the competition attracted 1,423 essay submissions from students across 549 tertiary institutions in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

She said entries were later reduced to 100 essays after the first stage of assessment, before a five-member panel of judges selected 12 finalists comprising four female and eight male students for the grand finale in Ilorin.

"The response we received reflects the curiosity, intellectual engagement and readiness of young Nigerians to participate meaningfully in conversations that will shape the country's digital future," Jimoh-Sanni said.

She noted that while many participants demonstrated originality and critical thinking, the competition also revealed concerns about the growing reliance on AI-generated content among students.

"Technology should support human thinking, not replace it," she said, stressing the need for ethical awareness and responsible use of artificial intelligence tools.

The final stage of the competition featured an oratory session where finalists presented and defended their ideas before a panel of judges drawn from academia, media, law and technology.

Members of the panel included AbdulLateef Lanre Ahmed, Hassanat Bello, Oluwabunmi Lucy Niyi-Gafar, Nurah Jimoh-Sanni and Olasupo Abideen.

Announcing the winners, Abideen said the finalists displayed strong originality, ethical reasoning and a clear understanding of the implications of artificial intelligence.

"The quality of ideas presented by these young Nigerians shows that the future of responsible technology use in the country is promising," he said.

At the end of the competition, Adeniji Yusuf Joseph of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, emerged the winner and received a cash prize of N400,000.

The second prize of N300,000 went to Enoch Aremu of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, while Deniran El-Caleb Obanijesu of Obafemi Awolowo University won the third prize of N200,000.

The organisers said the initiative is part of the AI Literacy for Everyday People in Nigeria Project, supported by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.