Kwara Wins Presidential Schools Debate For Fifth Time

Kwara State has emerged winner of the 2026 Presidential Schools Debate Championship after defeating Lagos State in the final to claim the national title for a record fifth time.

The competition, which was held in Abuja, saw Team Kwara secure a convincing 5-1 victory over its Lagos counterparts, extending the state’s impressive record in the national academic contest.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq congratulated the pupils for their performance, describing their victory as a proud moment for the state. He praised the four students who represented Kwara for their hard work and commitment to maintaining the state’s position in the competition.

The winning team consisted of Halimoh Abdulazeez from Ilorin West, Khadija Kazeem from Offa, Omolola Ibrahim from Moro and Samaila Daniel from Ilorin East.

AbdulRazaq announced his reaction in a Facebook post on Saturday, where he expressed happiness over the team’s achievement and commended the pupils for bringing another national title to Kwara.

He attributed the victory and other awards won by students from the state to his administration’s continued investment in education over the past seven years.

The governor also appreciated officials of the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, the State Universal Basic Education Board, the teachers who prepared the pupils and their parents for their contributions to the team’s success.

According to him, the achievement has encouraged his government to continue supporting the education sector and creating opportunities for pupils to perform well in academic activities.

AbdulRazaq also congratulated the Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Sheu Adaramaja, following his recognition as Nigeria’s Best SUBEB Chairman.

He described the award as a well-deserved honour, noting that Adaramaja’s efforts had contributed to the growth of basic education in Kwara and the country.

The 66th edition of the Presidential Schools Debate Championship was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and featured pupils from public primary schools across Nigeria.

Team Kwara secured its place in the final after defeating representatives from Edo, Delta, Katsina and Niger states before overcoming Lagos to lift the trophy.

The victorious pupils received a trophy and a cash reward of N500,000 from the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Aisha Garba.

The Presidential Schools Debate is a national competition created to improve pupils’ reading habits, research abilities, critical thinking and public speaking skills.

It also gives young students the opportunity to express their views, defend their positions and engage with arguments from other participants.

The competition was approved in 2001 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. It brings together pupils from different parts of the country, who compete in preliminary rounds before the best teams advance to the national championship.