Lagos Varsity Wins N2.5m Youth Leadership Debate

Students from the Lagos State University have won the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) Youth Leadership Debate with a cash prize of N2.5 million.

The debate’s final held at the Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Foundation in Abuja is an initiative of NYFF, a collaborative project of the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation and Lumuinate, administered by LEAP Africa.

The inter-university debate serves as a platform for holistic support to harness the voices of young people towards national development and provide capacity building for selected individuals across tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The debate which started in September, had entries from 27 private and public tertiary institutions across the country with quarter-finals held across the country and semi-finals took place at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Oyo State.

Senior Programmes Coordinator for the Youth Leadership Debate Competition, Joy Amanabo expressed satisfaction with LEAP Africa’s contribution to raising young advocates who will confidently advocate for structural and policy reforms.

Project Director of NYFF, Dr Elisabeth Agbiti-Douglas, said the competition not only showcased the talent and potential of Nigerian youth but also emphasised the importance of dialogue in shaping a better future for the country.