By DESMOND EJIBAS

David Amakiri, 18, has emerged winner of the first Christian reality television show in Nigeria and Africa.

Amakiri, a 200-level student of Biomedical Technology at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), triumphed over eight other contestants to claim the grand prize of N1 million.

The undergraduate, who competed against some graduates, secured victory by scoring the highest in various assessments, including essay writing and general knowledge questions covering politics, current affairs, medical sciences, and Christian religious knowledge.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Monday shortly after his win, Amakiri, an indigene of Kalabari in Rivers, attributed his success to thorough preparation.

?I really prepared hard for this competition and I?m quite humbled to have emerged winner among other equally talented contestants.

?All I can say is that I will do everything possible to live up to the high expectations,? he stated.

Amakiri expressed his gratitude to the judges and organisers for their efforts in executing the show.

Mr Abuoma Chuka, President and Founder of the Xtreme Search Reality Television Show, presented the cash prize to Amakiri at the maiden edition of the programme.

He explained that the show was sponsored by Psalmist Missionary Global, which recently launched the first Christian-based reality show in Nigeria and across Africa.

The initiative, Chuka stated, was conceived as a response to growing moral decline in the society, with a focus on promoting Godliness, good morals, and cultural integrity, and Christian values.

?This project offers a more meaningful alternative that positively impacts the young people, unlike other reality television shows that tend to glorify immorality,? he remarked.

He added that the programme was also designed to empower undergraduates and graduates grappling with unemployment.

?Many of us who are graduates recall the sacrifices we made to acquire a university education.

?It is deeply troubling that, after such significant investment, so many graduates find themselves unemployed.

?This platform is our way of empowering one of them with a N1 million cash prize,? he said.

Chuka noted that contestants were selected following the submission of applications through the organiser?s website: psalmistmissionaryglobal.org/theextremesearch, as well as through in-person screening.

He expressed his ambition to expand the competition and increase the prize fund to reach more unemployed graduates and undergraduates.

Chuka also appealed to well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations, and government bodies to partner with the show in support of its humanitarian objectives. (NAN)

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