By Esther Onyegbula

Ikosi Senior High School has emerged winner of the Lagos Inter-School Debate Competition organised by The Elevation Church, Maryland Zone 5, in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, defeating 11 other public secondary schools from Lagos Education District II.

The three-week intellectual contest, which culminated in a grand finale at The Elevation Church, Maryland, Lagos, showcased the debating, analytical and public speaking skills of students drawn from 12 public secondary schools.

At the end of the competition, Ikosi Senior High School was declared overall winner, while Eva-Adelaja Girls Senior School emerged first runner-up and Ogudu Senior High School secured third position.
Four schools had qualified for the final stage of the competition after advancing through earlier rounds.

In the championship debate, Ikosi Senior High School faced Ogudu Senior Grammar School on the topic, “Total privatization of social services is the only viable path to drive efficiency in service delivery.” Another debate featured Eva Adelaja Girls Senior School and Kosofe Senior High School on the motion, “Social media influencers have more impact on youths than teachers.”

Speaking after the victory, Chief Speaker of Ikosi Senior High School, Martins David, an SS1 student, attributed the school’s success to rigorous preparation, extensive research and a clear understanding of the debate topic.

According to him, the team invested considerable time in studying the issues and developing persuasive arguments.

He said: “I worked extensively on the research. It took me about two days to prepare my points and another two days to master them. I focused on understanding the issues rather than cramming because when you cram, you may not know when to pause or how to communicate effectively.

“The ability to explain complex ideas in simple terms, alongside strong memorisation and presentation techniques, also helped us tremendously during the competition.”

David, who disclosed that he had participated in several debating contests, described the victory as another milestone in his growing list of achievements.

Chairman of the judging panel, John Wesley, said contestants were evaluated on the basis of depth of knowledge, content quality, critical thinking, teamwork and overall presentation.

“The criteria were depth of the topic, content, critical thinking, overall performance and teamwork because both the chief speaker and supporting speaker had to complement each other,” Wesley explained.

Commending the participants, he noted that the students demonstrated remarkable intelligence, confidence and mastery of contemporary issues.
“I must say that we had a very interesting debate. The students displayed a high level of intelligence and preparation, which reflected in their presentations and arguments,” he said.

Wesley also called on government and other stakeholders to invest more in young people, stressing that many of the participants had displayed qualities required for future leadership.

“There are many older people who do not possess the confidence and capacity these young people have displayed. If government invests in them and takes them seriously, we will have better leaders and professionals in the future,” he added.

In his remarks, Resident Pastor of The Elevation Church, Maryland, Pastor Bolaji Adisa, said the debate competition was part of the church’s commitment to social impact and its vision of “making greatness common.”

According to him, the church began its educational intervention programmes about seven years ago by supporting public school students preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.

He explained that volunteer teachers within the church community have continued to provide academic support to students in public schools, resulting in significant improvements in learning outcomes.

“We believe education is a powerful tool for transformation. Our focus has always been on supporting public schools and helping to bridge the gap between public and private education,” Adisa said.

He noted that the initiative had grown steadily from supporting a single school to two schools, then 10 schools, and now 12 public secondary schools across Lagos State.

The cleric further disclosed plans to introduce teacher-development programmes aimed at equipping educators with additional professional skills through mentorship and training opportunities.

“Our next project is to support teachers through capacity-building programmes involving education experts, professors and professionals within our community. We want to contribute to the development of both students and teachers,” he said.

Adisa also revealed plans to expand future editions of the debate competition to include both public and private schools, with the aim of promoting healthy academic competition and encouraging greater investment in public education.

He added that exceptional students would continue to benefit from the church’s educational support initiatives, including sponsorship for examinations such as JAMB and assistance towards university education, subject to available resources.