Kwara Pupils Win Presidential School Debate For 5th Consecutive Time

Pupils from Kwara State have emerged overall winners of the Presidential School Debate Competition for the fifth consecutive time, defeating their counterparts from Lagos State in the final held in Abuja.

The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, was also honoured as the Best SUBEB Chairman in Nigeria.

The championship, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, featured pupils from public primary schools across the country.

At the competition, which ended on Thursday, Team Kwara outperformed representatives of other states, including Edo, Delta, Katsina, Niger and Lagos, in different stages of the contest.

Team Kwara, comprising Halimoh Abdulazeez from Ilorin West Local Government Area, Khadija Kazeem from Offa, Omolola Ibrahim from Moro and Samaila Daniel from Ilorin East, defeated Team Lagos by five points to one in the final to clinch the championship.

Presenting a trophy and a cash prize of N500,000 to the winning team, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Aisha Garba, expressed delight at the pupils’ performance and congratulated them on their achievement.

She also commended President Bola Tinubu for his continued support and approval of the national debate competition, which she said was designed to groom schoolchildren for educational excellence.

In his remarks, Adaramaja said the victory reflected the impact of the Kwara State Government’s investments in human capital development.

Describing the achievement as another milestone, he said the latest victory had further established Kwara’s public school system as a centre of academic excellence and intellectual development in Nigeria.

“This feat is a clear indication that the heavy investments by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the education sector has continued to yield results,” he said.

“We congratulate our exceptional pupils, dedicated teachers and supportive parents for their tireless efforts that culminated into this success.”

Adaramaja thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his continued support for the board and sustained investment in the state’s education reforms.

He also praised the state government for prioritising teachers’ welfare through the prompt payment of salaries and regular promotions of SUBEB personnel.