Earlyface

The maiden edition of the Nigeria Private Universities Debate (NIPUD) challenge has successfully held with a total number of 15 participants out of the nation’s 51 duly accredited 51 private universities. The finals of the competition, which held between Tuesday, March 26 and Thursday, 28, at the Babcock University, Ilishan- Remo, Ogun State, drew stakeholders in the education sector, including an official of the National Universities Commission (NUC). MOJEED ALABI reports.

Themed, ‘Nigeria’s Vision 20: 2020: The Facts, the farce and the figures,’ the pioneer edition of the debate competition among students of Nigeria-based private universities was, according to its organiser, an avenue for students to lend their voice to a major government policy that could determine the brightness or otherwise of their future.

Organised by the newly established body-Nigeria Private Universities Debate (NIPUD), and sponsored by Diamond Bank Plc, the competition offered the participants opportunities to research into the feasibility of Nigeria joining the world’s best 20 economies by the year 2020.

And expectedly, their responses were not only harsh; they anchored the nation’s dream on her desire to quickly quench the raging fire of bombings, kidnapping, violent armed robberies, corruption and the culture of impunity, which they attribute to her current retarded growth.

After the regional presentations, which held in the nation’s six geo-political zones, only four institutions could make it to the finals; they are the Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State; Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State; Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State, and Igbinedon University, Okada, in Edo State. At the semi final stage, Western Delta University beat Igbinedon University to face Babcock University which also trounced Fountain University during the semis.

During the final challenge, the students considered various other subthemes such as the reversal of the current rural-urban migration, dearth of infrastructural facilities, brain drain, collapse of education system among others, as major areas the country needs to work on to achieve her desired dream.

Babcock University represented by Okezi Meshack, Madu Chibuzor and Olusile Christiana, which spoke against the idea that the vision could only be achievable if the current rural-urban migration is reversed beat the Western Delta University’s representatives- Edwina Peters, Christabel Israel and Igbinobaro Paula, which argued in favour of the motion, to emerge the overall winner. Babcock University won with a total of 250.1 points while its opponent scored 231.8 points.

The third position went to Igbinedon University with a total point of 235 against Fountain University’s 218.5 points.

The panel of judges led by a Professor of Literature at the Department of English, University of Ibadan, Ayo Kehinde, lauded the initiative for offering the students opportunity to gain all-round knowledge.

They argued that not only the grammar, composure and presentations were considered, but that their in-depth knowledge of international affairs, national economic and political policies were also accorded relevance in their judgment.

In his speech at the event, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, said his support for private universities was not to kill the public ones but to create a good room for healthy rivalry and competition and offer opportunities to wealthy men and wealthy to contribute to the university sector as it is done in advanced countries.

Okojie, who was represented by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology (FUT), Akure, Ondo State, enjoined other private universities to join the train and make the competition an activity everyone will always look forward to be part of.

The representative of the sponsor and Regional Director (West), Mr. Sola Ajayi, said the bank decided to partner the organisation as part of its corporate social responsibility and that all efforts to rebuild the country will be supported by the bank.

The NIPUD President, a Professor of Policy Management & Conflict Resolution, said the debate is a good vehicle to hone the potentials of the nation’s teeming undergraduates “who should by reason of extra-curricular exposure, move beyond their counterparts in non private universities.”

The organiser promised to forward its communiqué to the Presidency as part of its contributions to nation building.