By Chioma Obinna

As Nigeria grapples with declining educational engagement and growing youth disillusionment, the 2025 Dr. Osahon Enabulele Foundation (DOEF) Debate Competition for secondary schools has emerged as a beacon of hope, challenging students to think critically, engage civically and reclaim the narrative around education.

Meanwhile, Eghosa Grammar School has won the N1m star prize of the inter-school debate competition while other winners were presented with certificate of participation, books and other sundry items. The outstanding speakers went home with cash prizes ranging from N100, 000 to N200, 000.

At the grand finale, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, Director-General of the Foundation and Past President of the World Medical Association, highlighted the systemic issues that inspired the initiative.

“Young people are increasingly becoming victims of society’s defective role modeling and the undue rewards given to individuals with questionable wealth and leadership positions. Many no longer see the value in education or intellectual effort. This debate competition is our deliberate intervention to reverse that trend, “Enabulele said. 

The competition addressed multiple challenges facing Nigerian youth: poor critical thinking skills, limited civic engagement, and inadequate platforms to express ideas. 

Through debates on topics like: Should Secondary School Students share responsibility in Edo State’s development? and Social media has a detrimental effect on the intellectual capacity and mental health of teenagers, students confronted real-world issues that affect their education, wellbeing, and future leadership potential.

The scale of the competition underscored both the demand and the gaps in educational engagement. Since its May 30 launch in Egor LGA, the event has spanned all 18 local government areas of Edo State, reaching 52 schools, 179 contestants, 83 teachers, and 386 students, with over 309 awards and certificates presented.

The final competition of the debate with the topic: In the context of Nigeria’s social -economic and developmental realities, do you agree with those who say Education is a scam?, was informed by the social-economic reality and saw students demonstrating impressive intellectual competition and depth.

Other schools that participated in the competition include Idia and Annunciation Catholic College which took the second and third positions in the debate among secondary schools from the three senatorial districts of the state.