No fewer than 230 Nigerian Universities are expected to participate in the 2023 All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship, scheduled to hold between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 at Veritas University, Abuja.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr Victor Odoeme, said this during a pre-event news conference by the All Nigerian Debating Council in preparation for the championship.
Odoeme said veteran Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, would be the keynote speaker at the event.
“This is the 10th edition and Veritas is the defending champion,” he said.
Odoeme said that the championship was open to undergraduate students of all Nigerian Universities whether faith-based, public, private and state-owned, who have been invited to participate.
He said that participants would be debating on topics to be selected by an experienced panel and that there would be room for public speaking competition.
Odoeme urged private and public organisations especially the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) and Tertiary Education Fund (TetFund) to contribute and support the championship.
“We are open to have corporate sponsorships and we are glad that some of them are buying into the project,” he said.
Odoeme also said that the championship is an intellectual equivalent of the All Nigerian Universities Games.
Mr Ocheido Adah, Convener of the tournament, said the essence of the debate was to allow people to have thinking capacity on the spot.
He said that the future of the country needed to be in the hands of youths who are thinking.
“This means that if they are faced with any difficulty wherever they find themselves, there is a training that constantly allows them to reach the deepest part of their thought process and bring out something which becomes very important for their growth.
“So, if you are going to interact with the debater in future, you will be able to understand that someone who has gone through that rigorous process is able to say 10 things and eight will be meaningful and for some, the 10 things will be meaningful.
Rev. Fr. Dr Martin Onukwuba, Director of Development, Veritas University said: “This is the first time the debate is coming to the north”.
He urged the government to pay attention to the championship just as they do to football and other sports in the country.
There are trophies and certificates for the best speaker, best debater and best institution.
