McCarthy Jessy Returns Home After NDLEA Essay Win

The Oil City of Warri celebrated the homecoming of 15-year-old McCarthy Oritsetseyigbemi Jessy on Monday, following her victory as the overall winner of the 2025 NDLEA Inter-School Essay Competition. The event, organised by her family and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Warri South Chapter, featured a road parade and mini carnival to honour her outstanding achievement.

Speaking at the event, Jessy revealed she missed several classes and tests while working hard to perfect her essay, which she described as a letter to her future self and Nigerian youths, urging them to avoid drugs and protect their futures. She emphasized that her research was done manually using books and dictionaries, dismissing claims that artificial intelligence was involved in writing the essay.

The 2025 NDLEA Inter-School Essay Competition, which attracted entries from secondary schools across all 36 states of the federation, forms part of NDLEA’s broader initiative to engage students and raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse among young Nigerians.