The University of Ibadan has clinched the second position in two contests – both the Impact Africa International Debate Championship and Intercontinental Public Speaking Contest. The University also won nine medals in both contests – the highest by any participating institution.
UI finished second behind the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, while the host institution, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, also from Ghana, came third.
The competition held between July 23 and July 28 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Nigeria’s premier university was represented by of Asudemade Habeebullah, 300 Level, Olaniyan Oluwadara, 400 Level, Nwarueze Elizabeth and Anyaeji Chizoba, both in 500 Level. All are Law students.
Other representatives were Ejide Temitope, Statistics, 200 Level, and Sadik Oluwagbenga, Human Nutrition, 400 Level.
University of Ibadan Participants
Elizabeth had 4 medals, Sadik won 2 medals while the trio of Habeeb, Dara and Ejide had 1 medal each — making a total of 9.
Other Nigerian universities that participated in the competition were the Kastina State University and Kebbi State University, Birnin Kebbi.
Apart from the universities from Nigeria and the two from Ghana that made the top three, University of Sierra Leone and another from Zimbabwe were also represented.
The International Debate Championship pitched institutions from Africa against each other. However, the Intercontinental Public Speaking Contest was an individual contest for institutions.
A university expected from Canada did not appear.
Reacting, Asudemade Habeebullah expressed his joy over the outcome, the network he has availed himself, coupled with the new style of debate — the British Parliamentary Debating Style.
“Well, the competition was a good outing, and it exposed me to a few other strategies different from the way we do things around here,” he said.
“Asides, it provided a platform of networking with students of other schools. Also, we just started venturing into the exploits of British Parliamentary debate, and to that end, coming second was not bad. In all, it was a worthy experience.”
In the 2017 edition, staged in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, Lucky Igbinedon University, Okada, Edo, Nigeria scooped the trophy in the debate category while Zimbabwe Open University won the Public Speaking Contest
