Students of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, have emerged as the leading performers at the Nigeria National Final of the 19th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School Students, securing all three top positions and four major awards in the competition.
The national final, held online recently, brought together contestants from Confucius Institutes and Chinese language teaching centres across Nigeria.
After four rounds of competition, three students from the UNIZIK Confucius Institute distinguished themselves with outstanding performances.
Ms Umezurike Favour Chinaetugo won the Best Eloquence Award and also received a Second Prize, while Ms Okoye Chikadibia Faith was equally awarded a second prize.
The highest honour of the competition went to 17-year-old Ms Micheal Uchechi Justina, who emerged as the National Champion, earning the right to represent Nigeria at the Global Finale of the Chinese Bridge Competition in China later this year. As she is a minor, she will be accompanied by her Chinese language teacher.
Speaking on the achievement, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Yu Zhangbao, described the result as another milestone for the institute.
According to him, the victory marks the 12th time a student from the institute has won Nigeria’s national championship in the Chinese Bridge competitions since the institute began participating in 2018.
“It is also our seventh national championship title in the Secondary School Students category since joining that competition in 2019,” he said.
The Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute, Professor Anas Egwuatu Elochukwu, said the institute’s track record at the international stage further underscores the quality of its Chinese language programme.
He noted that all six previous secondary school national champions produced by the institute advanced to the Global Top 30 of the competition.
“Among them, two won Global First Prizes, two received Global Third Prizes, and two were crowned African Champions. These achievements reflect the high quality of Chinese language teaching at our Confucius Institute and demonstrate the growing influence and competitiveness of Chinese language education in Nigeria,” he said.
Professor Elochukwu expressed confidence that Micheal Uchechi Justina would continue the institute’s tradition of excellence and achieve further success for Nigeria at the global competition.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, congratulated the students and the Confucius Institute on their performance.
In a message delivered during an official engagement in China, the Vice-Chancellor said the achievement highlights the success of the institute as a platform for cultural exchange and language learning between Nigeria and China.
He added that the consistent success recorded by the institute reflects the growing prospects for educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
