My Experience, Assessment of the LASUSU 2022 Intervarsity Debate Competition

By Similoluwa Ifedayo 

The thrills, electrifying atmosphere, grammatic display as well as the reward for victory and display of academic excellence at the just concluded LASUSU Intervarsity Debate Competition for 2022 still lingers on in the minds of participants, me in particular.

This year's competition had its semi-finals on Monday, 5th December 2022, and the grand-finale on Tuesday, 6th December 2022, featuring 10 universities out of 9 participated in the debate round and 4 moved on to the final round having scaled through rigorous stages of research, drafting, writing, editing, internalizing and speaking.

As a matter of fact, the presence of seasoned judges/panelists at the event cannot be overlooked. It was, undoubtedly an event to remember for the best.

However, in spite of the way the event turn out, this piece is a trilogy of the knowledge I acquired, my thoughts on the participants, and a tribute to the organisers of this debate competition. So, I implore you to flow with this tide.  

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WHAT I LEARNED AS AN ATTENDEE

First, Public speaking is an art and it requires multiple processes that must be completed to create an effective message. From the competition, I saw speakers that have taken their time to build themselves. I saw speakers that have invested a greater part of themselves in the process of being great public speakers. I learnt that to be a better speaker, I need to define my focus and focus on the craft. I learnt that public speaking is a big deal and there has to be a message before the passage. It requires skills. 

At the end of the semi-finals of this competition, the team had to get a topic and prepare in less than 24 hours for the finals. They had to research, brainstorm, write, structure, draft, proofread, and internalize. Left to me, this screams, Teamwork! which means reveals the importance of building a relationship with people (your team) I can rely on to and in turn, be valuable and helpful to.

MY BEST TEAM WITH THE BEST TEAM SPIRIT AT THE COMPETITION AND WHY?

Second, this part, divided into two, is my best team, best speaker and reasons for my choice. Truthfully, my best team at the competition was TEAM E, winners of the award for Best Team Spirit, which is not a surprise because they proved it. The team E,members: Adebola Al-Amin, Aina Ayomide and Matanmi Oluwanifemi as I have said, this not surprise me when they won the Best Team Spirit Award of the competition because they were in control. I mean, did you see how their content synchronised? Did you see how no one was left behind in the delivery of the message? Exactly. They worked as a team. It was evident that they were together during the preparation of the content. They gave me that "I dey for you my friend" vibe. I love unity, I love togetherness and I saw it in them. They didn't earn the winning title but they earned a place in my heart.

THE BEST SPEAKER AT THE COMPETITION AND WHY?

Soothingly, for this division, I have to say "People dey speak" meaning, "there are people that speak so well." Funnily, if I were to get engaged on Tuesday, by the time you are reading this, I should be in Paris spending the money, my fiance made from the competition as a member of the winning team and the winner of the best speaker award. Sadly, my love for great speakers didn't push me to propose to my fiance on the stage in Buba Marwa Auditorium. I mean, I would have made it to ACJ-LASU, LASU CONSCIENCE and every other media house's headline. Picture 

the headline: "Similoluwa Ifedayo, a Law Student, ACJ-LASU Correspondent proposes to the best speaker of the 2022 Inter-varsity debate competition 5.0." Yeah. I know right?

 

But, sincerely, Goodness Okunsanya earned the award because he was that good. I loved his content, his charisma, his voice tune, his confidence and the way he disseminated his message. He was different from every other speaker and that was a beauty to behold. As much as I loved Goodness' oratory brilliance, I also loved other speakers like Al-Amin and Aina Ayomide. They were likewise outstanding. Al-Amin's rebuttal was dope. At a point, it got me thinking, how a school of communication student became a lawyer and a judge. Ayomide's speech was also very smooth and I'm a big fan of her skill. Yeah, whenever you see her, please, tell her that I love her skill.

On a final note, this piece would be incomplete without commending and appreciating the planning committee of LIVDC 2022, led by Akpomerha Erhuvwu. Miss Erhuvwu and her team did a great job which contributed to a lingering experience that I believe many attendees, just like myself will not get over in a while.