Anambra Debate Team Returns from Singapore, Presents Trophy to Obiano

The Anambra Debate Team (L-R) Chinecherem Precious Oli, Mmesoma Nwankwo, Oluchukwu Godfrey, Endurance Peter and  Ugochukwu Chineke, 

Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State displaying the Trophy. With him are Dr. Nkem Okeke, Deputy Governor and Prof. Kate Omenugha, Commissioner for Education

The Anambra Debate Team that participated in the Junior School Mock Debate in Singapore last week as part of the build up to the World School Debate Championship billed for Germany in July this year has returned with the trophy it won after defeating the Debate Team of Katong Convent School, Singapore.

The Debate Team is made up of five students drawn from different public secondary schools across the state include Ugochukwu Chineke, a fourteen-year-old student Army Day Secondary School, Onitsha, Oluchukwu Godfrey, an eleven-year-old pupil of Modebe Memorial Primary School, Onitsha, Favour Mmesoma Nwankwo, an eleven-year-old student of capital City Secondary School, Awka, Endurance Peter, a thirteen-year-old student of Comprehensive Secondary School, Nawfia and Chinecherem Precious Oli, a fourteen-year-old student of Metu Memorial Secondary School, Onitsha.

Oluchukwu Godfrey, a Primary School pupil with amazing oratory holds Anambra EXCO members spell-bound

The Debate Team stormed the chambers of the Anambra State Executive Council with the trophy and was roundly applauded by the Council Members for flying the flag of the state high and doing Nigeria proud at the Mock Debate.

Receiving the trophy, the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano praised the team for putting up a sterling performance in Singapore and doing the state proud.

Oluchukwu gets a Gubernatorial Handshake after her performance with Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, SSG in the midle

Governor Obiano expressed happiness that the huge investments that the state had made in education had started yielding heart-warming results and assured that his administration had singled out education as a top priority because of its overall importance to human capital development.

Noting that Anambra approaches education in three broad categories including Teachers Welfare, Infrastructural Development and Pupils/Students Development, Governor Obiano observed that gradually the state was inching closer to realising its objective of becoming one of the Top-3 states with the highest literacy rates in the country.

The teachers and coaches of the Debate Team

He commended the triumphant Debate Team and assured that the state would write a Special Commendation Letter for each of the debater that would serve as a memento.

He also commended teachers in the state for responding massively to the efforts of his administration to reposition education in the state pointing out that Anambra teachers had swiftly risen to the demands of the times.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Kate Omenugha revealed that Anambra, Kaduna and Niger States were originally billed to participate in the Mock Debate in Singapore in preparation for the World Championship in July but only Anambra and Niger State eventually made the trip.

Thanking Governor Obiano for assuming the role of the Pillar of Education in the state, Professor Omenugha observed that under him, Anambra had become an exemplary state in education in the country.

According to her, the essence of the Mock Debate in Singapore was to expose the children to global best practices in debating and prepare them for the World Championship coming up in Germany in July this year.

Professor Omenugha further observed that the Singapore trip provided a veritable learning platform for the children who sat under the tutelage of world class debate coaches and imbibed some crucial skills that would aid their performance at the World Championship.

Sharing their experience on the trip, Master Ugochukwu Chukwuneke from Army day Secondary School Onitsha who won the Best Speaker at the Mock Debate and Oluchukwu Godfrey from Modebe Memorial Primary School who also put up a sterling performance revealed that the tour had opened their eyes to a higher standard in debating.

They thanked Governor Obiano for providing them the opportunity to improve on their persuasive speaking skills and assured the state that they would not let Nigeria down in the World Championship