No fewer than 230 Nigerian Universities are expected to participate in the 2023 All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship,
The 10th All-Universities Debating Championship will hold at Veritas University, Abuja from August 27 to September 3with 230 universities in attendance.
The Coordinator Veritas University Debating Society and
Chairman LOC/Tournament Director, Dr. Chukwudi Victor Odoeme disclosed that the
debaters are undergraduate students of Nigerian universities; public, private,
faith-based, and state-owned universities.
“We have invited over 230 universities and are hoping that
they will come to slug it out intellectually. They will be debating on topics
to be selected by an experienced panel and there will also be rooms for public
speaking competition,” Odoeme said.
He lamented that arising from lack of sponsorship the
winners will only be rewarded with trophies while the winning institution will
get a certificate.
Odoeme added that although the All-Nigeria University
Debating Council had approached the National University Commission (NUC) and
TetFund for support they have not bought into the initiative yet.
“The conversation with NUC is ongoing but we are hoping that
they will come in the future and to advise every university in Nigeria to take
up debating as a core curricular activity which is one of the major objectives
of the All Nigerian University Debating Council.
“Since this is a bag round for advocacy, it is good for NUC
to make sure every university adopts it because of the benefits that come with
being exposed at that level.
“We have also reached out to TetFund, so we are still having
the discussion hoping that they will buy into the idea and understand that this
is an essential part of the university and funding it will be as good as
funding tertiary education in its entirety.
“We are open to have corporate sponsorships and we are glad
that some of them are buying into the project,” he said.
Also Director of Development Veritas University and a member
of the championship’s LOC, Rev. Fr. Dr. Martin Onukwuba, urged government to
sponsor debate the way they sponsor football.
Also speaking, the current African Champion of the Pan
African Debating Championship, Ochiedo Edwin Adah, said the participants would
be given a topic which they are to think about and deliver on the spot.
“The essence of this is that you allow people to think on
the spot. The impact of the championship is to improve the thinking process of
participants. If they are going to be leaders of tomorrow, we need to have our
future in the hands of those thinking,” Adah said.