“If money were to grow on trees, people would borrow ladders to pluck them instead of planting their own trees.”
That is how Ajinomisanghan Ayiri Praise, a recent graduate of Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, opened an essay that has now placed him among the five best young writers in Rivers State.
On 17th October 2026, at the complex of the Port Harcourt Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), a plaque and a Certificate of Intellectual Excellence were presented to Ajinomisanghan Ayiri Praise in recognition of his performance in the “Classroom to Boardroom” Essay Competition. His entry placed him fifth best in Rivers State.
Ayiri could not be present on the day, as he is already engaged with his university classes. In his place, the school was ably represented by our current Senior Prefect (Male), Aaron Prince Denyefa, who received the plaque and certificate on his behalf.
An Essay Worth Reading Twice
The title of Ayiri’s essay was “Smart Work, Clean Cash: How to Earn Money Legitimately.” Written by hand and running to two pages, it makes a clear, well-organised argument and it does so with wit.
He begins with the problem. In a world where shortcuts are becoming normal, and where some people believe honesty in the pursuit of money belongs to the past, Ayiri argues that young people and adults alike need to be shown how to earn well and keep their peace of mind.
He puts skills first. Skills, he argues, are the surest route to a steady income, and the old promise that a certificate is enough no longer holds:
“Gone are the days when degrees alone opened doors. Now, you need to know how to build the door yourself.”
He makes the case for technology used wisely. Smartphones and the internet, he writes, can be an honest source of income for those who showcase their skills, and he points to Nigerian chef Hilda Baci, who “cooked her way into history and fame”. His warning comes with a smile: a smartphone, he says, would not desire a dull owner.
He redefines entrepreneurship. It is more than owning a business, he argues. It begins with innovation and creativity and ends with income generation, and the true entrepreneur thinks bigger than most:
“True entrepreneurs, when life gives them lemons, do not just make lemonades, but go on to open lemonade factories.”
He finishes with a surprising champion: agriculture. Calling it “the green goldmine”, Ayiri observes that while others chase dollars online, farmers quietly harvest millions from the ground. You do not need vast hectares or heavy machinery to call yourself a farmer, he notes. A piece of land and some cutlasses will do. Then comes his challenge to the reader:
“Why sit back and condemn agriculture while hunger condemns you to nothing?”
His conclusion ties it together. The race to legitimate income, he writes, can only be won if the rules are followed, and skills, technology, entrepreneurship and farming are some of those rules.
What stands out is how rooted the essay is in the Nigerian reality its readers live in. The examples are local, the humour is sharp, and each section builds toward the same conviction: that honest work is both possible and rewarding. That is a mature piece of thinking, and it is exactly what a competition built around moving from the classroom to the boardroom exists to encourage.
The competition itself asks young people to connect what they learn to the world of work, enterprise and economic life. To place fifth in the state in a field like that shows that Ayiri can write well, and that he can think clearly about how an individual can take part in the economy honestly.
A Recognition Held Where Business Meets Education
Holding the recognition at the PHCCIMA complex gave the occasion a particular weight. The Chamber is one of the region’s leading voices in trade, industry, mines and agriculture, and its decision to honour young writers says something about how seriously Port Harcourt’s business community takes the next generation.
For Ayiri, who has already moved on to university life, the plaque and the Certificate of Intellectual Excellence stand as formal recognition from that community that his thinking, expressed in his writing, was among the best the state produced in this competition.
There is a pleasing symmetry in who stood in for him. Aaron Prince Denyefa, the school’s current Senior Prefect (Male), carried the achievement of a member of Jephthah’s outgoing set on behalf of the school. It is a reminder that at Jephthah, today’s students are the keepers of the standard that yesterday’s set established, and that Ayiri’s success is a goal for the students still in our classrooms.
A Pattern of Excellence
For those who know Ayiri’s record at Jephthah, this recognition fits a pattern that has been building for years.
In 2026 alone, he:
- Won the school’s Grand Slam Award as the overall best student in academics from SS1 to SS3
- Was named Best in Academics for the SS3 examinations
- Received the Best in Creative Writing award for his participation in write-ups within and outside the school, and for his academic work
- Was honoured as the school’s Sports Awardee for his performance and character in track and field
- Finished in the top five at both the Rotary Einstein Science Competition and the STEM Fair Annual Exhibition
- Earned seven A1 grades in the 2026 WASSCE-SC, topping the school’s list of achievers
An award for writing might look like a departure for a student with such a strong record in mathematics and the sciences. In fact it shows the opposite: a mind that moves comfortably between the analytical and the expressive, and a young man whose excellence is not narrow. That versatility is what Jephthah hopes for in every student.
See Also: Sent Forth With Purpose: Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School Celebrates the SS3 Graduating Class of 2026
What This Says About Jephthah
At Jephthah, we believe that education has failed if it produces students who can pass examinations but cannot communicate an idea, defend a position or think about the world beyond the syllabus. That is why creative writing, debate, science fairs and competitions sit alongside the regular timetable, and why students are encouraged to step outside the school gate and test themselves against the best.
It also matters that Ayiri wrote about earning money legitimately. Integrity is not an add-on to a Jephthah education. It sits at the centre of the school’s Christian character formation, and it is encouraging to see a student carry that conviction into a public competition and be recognised for it.
For parents looking for boarding schools in Port Harcourt and good secondary schools in Port Harcourt that develop more than test-takers, this is the kind of outcome to look for: a student who thinks well, writes well, behaves well and is recognised by the wider community for doing so.
Congratulations, Ayiri
To Ajinomisanghan Ayiri Praise: congratulations on a well-earned recognition, and best wishes as you settle into your university studies. To Aaron Prince Denyefa: thank you for representing the school and your fellow student with such dignity. Jephthah is proud of your intellect, your discipline and your character. We are certain that the “smart work” and “clean cash” you wrote about will mark the way you live, too.
To the Port Harcourt Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture: thank you for creating a platform that invites young minds to think seriously about enterprise and integrity, and for honouring our student.
Are you looking for the best Christian boarding school in Port Harcourt? Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School is a Christian boarding and day secondary school located at KM 4, East-West Road, Rumuome-Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. To learn more about admissions, visit jephthah.net/admissions or call 08037346444.
