Following weeks of intensive debates on national socio-economic and political issues, Tanvita Koushik, a thirteen-year-old student of Avic-Cenna International School, has emerged as the overall winner of the maiden edition of Nigeria Info’s “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Tournament.
The debate competition, which commenced in November 2021, featured hundreds of secondary school students across Lagos State between the ages of 13 to 17 years.
This is in a bid to commemorate Nigeria Info’s ten years anniversary of quality broadcasting across the country while also creating a platform designed to develop the psychological abilities of Nigerian youth to have intellectually-stimulating debates on complex issues that address national development.
The grand finale of the debate competition, which was broadcast live on Nigeria Info’s Hard Facts Show, had Tanvita defeating Emmanuella Nnadi from Vicmob High School, Lagos State, after debating on two socioeconomically related topics which were centered on the ban of commercial motorcycle operations across Lagos State and the battle for the control of Value Added Tax (VAT) between the state governments and the Federal Government.
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“I really want to use this medium to congratulate all the contenders who have participated in the debate. I honestly believe everyone is a winner in this contest because one of the great ways to raise bright minds in a nation is through providing access to the right platform that builds the required confidence to address issues of national concern.
“I am very confident that the experiences garnered from the “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Tournament is one you all are going to cherish because it is going to serve you well in the near future,” said Serge Noujaim, CEO, Cool FM, Nigeria Info, and Wazobia FM.
Tanvita was awarded one-million-naira cash prize, a desktop computer, an HP printer, and a Blue-gate UPS, while the first-runner up, Emmanuella Nnadi from Vicmob High School, received 250,000 naira and a Nintendo Switch.
The second-runner up, Uchechukwu Golden from Saint Saviours High School, also received 150,000 naira, a JBL bluetooth speaker, and a Porodo smartwatch, while the third-runner up, Emmanuel Busari from Ifako International School won 50,000 naira.
The “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Tournament is one of the many initiatives of Nigeria Info that seeks to develop the intellectual capacity of Nigerian students through healthy debate competitions.
