Talented young orators were in evidence at the first National Youth Speaking and Leadership (NYSL) public speaking final competition held recently in Lagos.
A total of nine schools were represented by their students, giving speeches in front of an audience comprised of family, teachers, friends, administrators, and other students.
The participating schools are Oxbridge Tutorial College, Greensprings (Anthony), Temple School, Lead City International School, ST&T Regency College, Queensland Academy, Childville school and CEDEC International School.
Two students; Ajetunmobi Morayo from Greensprings School (Lekki), and Doyinsola Ogunshola , a student of Vivian Fowler Memorial College, were the shining stars, emerging winners in both prepared and impromptu speeches category respectively, with Morayo going home with N50,000 cash prize.
The competition, which as the endorsement from Association of Private Educators of Nigeria (APEN), according to the organizers Florence Olumodimu and Victor Ajufoh-Obi the Managing partner of Web and Work Systems Limited, was aimed at encouraging students to be bolder and level up with required standards during interviews in the local and international platform.
A social entrepreneur and founder of Life Developer Network Olumodimu who is also a distinguished Toastmaster added that her passion for communication and leadership is the force behind the competition.
“These are young people and we want to get them thinking about how they can be solution providers, making a difference in their community and country instead of complaining. I look forward to training more students and have them teaching their colleagues. This ripple effect can help us train about 10,000 students in 10 years,” she added.
Winner of the Prepared Speech category, Ajetunmobi Morayo from Greensprings School (Lekki), said she was looking forward to winning and she felt accomplished in spite of having limited time to prepare.
“There were two of us from my school that could likely speak and I was finally decided on two days to the event, even though others had a week to prepare. I took note of relevant information and worked diligently on it. I am grateful to my mum for teaching me confidence,” she added.
Her teacher, Shittu Sadiq, praised Morayo for her diligence, perseverance, and hard work during the time of training.
Winner of the Impromptu Speech and First runner-up for the Prepared Speech, Doyinsola Ogunshola, a student of Vivian Fowler Memorial College, expressed her excitement for winning in the two categories and also having the privilege of learning from the other contestants.
Ogunshola said though she wants to be a neurosurgeon, public speaking will give young ones the opportunity to identify and fulfill their purpose in life.
A student of Childville School, Daniel Eta, who was the second runner-up in both categories admitted feeling tensed at some point but was able to overcome it. He said the training has aided his communication skills and it would be vital in his career in the future.
“I don’t necessarily see myself having a career in speech presentation, but am aware that it relates to other courses of study because at some point you will need to give a speech on something, so public speaking would be embedded in my daily activities,” he added.
