From John Silas
A 200-level Law student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Adeniran Saheed, has emerged as winner of the 2026 Business Verge Student Essay Competition.
Saheed emerged as the overall winner following the final stage of evaluation of entries submitted by UNILAG students in response to the competition’s central question: “How Can Young Nigerians Build Sustainable Businesses in Today’s Economy?”
His winning essay, titled “Nigeria Economy: How Young Nigerians Can Build Enduring Business Ideas,” examined the realities young Nigerians face when developing businesses and explored approaches to creating enterprises capable of enduring beyond short-term opportunities.
His emergence followed a competition process that saw entries narrowed to a top-10, then top-5 and ultimately three finalists.
The other two top-3 finalists were John Fulfilment, a 300-level Computer Engineering student, and Tobechukwu Egboh, a 400-level Electrical & Electronics Engineering student.
The Business Verge Student Essay Competition was created to provide university students with a platform to engage with important questions around entrepreneurship, sustainability and Nigeria’s economic future.
The competition encouraged participants to move beyond identifying the challenges facing young entrepreneurs to considering practical approaches to building businesses that can create value, adapt to changing conditions and remain sustainable.
The range of disciplines represented throughout the competition also demonstrated the breadth of interest in entrepreneurship among the students.
With his victory, Saheed becomes the first-place recipient of the 2026 Business Verge Student Essay Competition.
Business Verge congratulates him on his achievement and commends all the students who participated in the competition for contributing their perspectives to an important conversation about the future of entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
The organisation also recognises the top-3 finalists: Saheed, Fulfilment and Egboh, for progressing through the various stages of the competition.
The beginning of a bigger conversation for Business Verge, the conclusion of the essay competition represents more than the selection of a winner.
It reinforces the importance of creating opportunities for young Nigerians to develop, communicate and share ideas around the economic issues that affect them.
Business Verge will continue to create platforms that spotlight emerging ideas, entrepreneurs and young voices contributing to Africa’s business and economic future.
