The Federal Government has endorsed takeoff of President’s schools debate competition, introduced by former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001.
The President School debate was introduced to develop a reading culture and promote academic excellence, harmony and inter-regional unity amongst youths in the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume adopted the national debate when members of the President’s school debate Nigeria visited him in Abuja.
Senator Akume further nominated Simon Tyungu a director in the SGF office to serve as a member of the team.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the President’s School Debate Elder Dare Oritu said the debate was part of efforts to further deepen the renewed hope agenda of the present government in the field of education, culture and effective national patriotism.
Oritu applauded the interest shown by President Bola Tinubu in the spelling Bee educational programme when he was governor of Lagos state and expressed confidence that the same feet would be achieved at the national level.
‘He said “As part of our activities, President’s School Debate Nigeria has organised annual debates since 2002, both at the primary and secondary school levels where it has been able to identify skilled and talented student debaters from all the geo-political zones of the country.
‘’This major factor propelled the body to feature Nigerian student debaters at the following World Schools Debating Championships-WSDC in Doha, Qatar (2010). VWSDC in Dundee, Scotland (2011), the Asian Schools Debate in Seoul, South Korea (201l). WSDC in Cape Town, South Africa (2012), and the Turkey edition in January 2013, so also at the WSDC in Thailand in August, 2014 and in Singapore WSDC in 2015. WSDC 2017, Bali in Indonesia, and WSDC 2019, Bangkok in Thailand.
‘’In most of the above competitions our debate teams performed excellently, thus winning trophies, and certificates of recognition’’.
Oritu said four students from each of the federation would be selected to participate at the national level.
He announced Mrs. Remi Tinubu as the patron of the President’s School Debate Nigeria.