Governor AbdulRazaq Splashes Cash On Presidential School Debate Champions, Coaches

The Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has celebrated the four pupils of the state’s basic schools and winners of the 2026 Presidential School Debate which took place in Abuja recently.

Team Kwara defeated Team Lagos at the final stage of the championship by 5 to 1 points and thereby declared champions for the fifth consecutive time.

The special four are Halimoh Abdulazeez from Ilorin West Local Government, Khadija Kazeem (Offa), Omolola Ibrahim (Moro), and Samaila Daniel (Ilorin East).

The governor also hosted the senior secondary school students who represented Nigeria in Kenya and returned as 2nd runner-up.

He equally honoured the students who emerged 1st runner-up at the senior category of the Presidential School Debate held in Rivers State.

These 2nd and 3rd categories of students who made Kwara proud both in the East African Country, Kenya, and Rivers State are Moshood Muhammad Kamaldeen from Government Secondary School (GSS) Ilorin; Abdulazeez

Abdulmutesir Destiny (St. Anthony School Ilorin); Aisha Abdulazeez Semilore (Nawarul-Deen Sec. Sch. Offa); Mariam Usman Enyo (Ilorin Grammar Sch); Masiah Olaniran (Ilorin Grammar Sch. Ilorin); Jatto Rahmatullahi Onise (Queen Elizabeth School Ilorin); Ayisat Muhammad Oyinkansola (Army Day Sec. Sch. Sobi Ilorin); and Oluwadare from Bishop Smith Memorial College, Ilorin.

AbdulRazaq commended the victorious pupils and students for their hard work and outstanding performance.

He called the victories a fruit of his government’s investments in the education sector.

The governor awarded each of the school children N3m while their coaches received N1m apiece.

“Once again, congratulations. Indeed, our investment in education is paying off. What you’ve done and have achieved will encourage us to do more in this sector.

“There are many sectors competing for resources. But what you’re doing here shows that whatever we put in education is an investment, not just for now, but ultimately for the future of the state and for the future of Nigeria,” he said.

The governor said the introduction of KwaraLEARN, a technology-driven teaching by his administration, made public schools highly competitive with many parents increasingly enrolling their wards there.

“When we say investment in education, we’re talking about not just the infrastructure and building in schools, but also training and retraining of teachers, and improving the curriculum, and doing the best we can to make students stay in schools,” he said.

He extolled the parents of the school children, their coaches and schools for their sacrifices and commitment to the academic excellence of the pupils/students.

The commissioner of Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, and chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KwSUBEB), Prof Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, ìn their separate remarks, said there is no doubt that the investment by the administration in education is yielding positive results.

They said it was a thing of pride for them and their colleagues to be serving under this government, thanking AbdulRazaq for his leadership qualities.

“The major reason why we are here is to tell Your Excellency, as you have also known, that your investments in education are yielding positive results for us, and that is something we are not taking for granted,” Olohungbebe said.

Halimoh Abdulazeez, who spoke on behalf of other champions, thanked the Governor for the honour and for investing in them to smooth their path to success in life.

She also thanked their teachers, parents and coaches for contributing to their life positively.