Grace Emerges as Champion of the ESAN Freshers Debate Competition

Grace won the freshers debate organized by the Education Students’ Association Nigeria (ESAN) at the SUB TV Room of the Student Union building in Obafemi Awolowo University on Tuesday, January 16 2024.

The event commenced with an opening prayer, followed by the Great Ife anthem. The Faculty President, Adesokan Victor, gave his welcome speech to all present at the debate.

At the commencement of the debate competition, Olubade Majeed, a judge, gave the modalities for grading the competition. He stated that the first round will be based on the topic given to them, while the second round will be an impromptu topic.

Also, he explained that argumentation is 50 marks; presentation, 20 marks; organisation, 20 marks; and dressing 10 marks.

The competition featured participants from all the departments within the faculty of education: Arts & Social Science Education (ASE), Kinesthetic and Health Recreation (KHR), Education and Foundation Counselling (EFC), Science and Technology Education (STE), and the Institute of Education (IED).

The Department of IED was unable to qualify for the next round of the debate. In the final round, ASE emerged first, EFC the first runner-up and KHR the third.

Olusegun Grace Precious, representative for Art and Social Science Education (ASE), emerged as the winner, captivating the audience with her brilliant arguments, persuasive rhetoric and profound insights.

Throughout the rounds, Grace captivated the audience and judges with her articulate delivery backed by research. Her ability to think on her feet and respond to counterarguments effectively set her apart from the other participants. The judges praised Grace for her clarity of thought, logical reasoning, and effective communication skills.

Speaking with an Infocus News Agency correspondent, Grace stated, ‘I feel happy and achieved, I feel grateful to God, and I’m proud of myself. I can’t even say what prompted me to get myself involved in the debate competition; I just wanted to give it a try. Also, I’m planning on improving my debate skills and participating in more debates.’