Six winners emerge in EU SGBV short video competition

Six winners have emerged in the short video competition on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) open to all Nigerians by the Delegation of European Union (EU) to Nigeria and ECOWAS.

At a well-attended ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, Aimalohi Ojeamiren, a student of the University of Abuja, took home this year’s winning prize.

Miss Ojeamiren received a 2020 iMAC desktop computer. The second prize was awarded to Doris Okorie who got a 2020 MACBOOK PRO laptop, while the third prize of DSLR Canon Camera went to Anita Abada.

David Nkwa; Obunoluwa Oluwarinu and Twammsen Danaan from Plateau State who placed fourth, fifth and sixth position got cash prizes.

In his opening remarks, the Head of EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, commended the finalists, saying the European Union was happy to stimulate the awareness and creativity of Nigerians on issues of gender-based violence through its short video competition.

Mr Karlsen said he was pleased that despite the constraints and challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU received 685 entries, all creatively put together to illustrate the competitors’ understanding of sexual and gender-based violence and ways to eliminate it in society.

“To all six of you that have emerged finalists, I would like to congratulate you. If out of 685 entries you were able to make it to the top six, you are no doubt, already a winner,” Mr Karlsen said. While applauding all the participants for their exceptional brilliance, he urged all distinguished participants to remember to listen to young Nigerians and victims of gender-based violence.

Winner of the star prize, Aimalohi Ojeamiren, said she was excited to be crowned the winner of the EU SGBV Short video competition even as she urged the EU Delegation in Nigeria to sustain the initiative as a way of challenging the creativity of Nigerians while creating the needed awareness that will wipe out cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Nigeria.

“I’m excited to emerge the winner this year. My three-minute video on Sexual and Gende Based Violence was inspired by the need to mitigate its prevalence in society through story telling. I urge the EU Delegation to continue to encourage this kind of endeavour so as to bring an end to this menace,” Miss Ojeamiren said.

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The objective of the EU SGBV short video competition was to stimulate the awareness of Nigerians on issues of gender-based violence, ensuring that the voices of young people are heard and taken into consideration when shaping and implementing programmes and policies in Nigeria.

Entrants were asked to send in three-minute video expressing what they understood by sexual and gender-based violence and ways to eliminate it in society.

Judges were drawn from Nollywood, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the EU funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) project, the EU Delegation office in Nigeria and the Spotlight Initiative.