The Government Day Secondary School, Karu, has emerged winner of the Abuja Season 3 grand finale of the “I Beg to Differ” debate competition, clinching a cash prize of N3 million naira.

The competition, organised by Nigeria Info FM Abuja and sponsored by KIRA Ai, brought together top secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory to showcase critical thinking, public speaking and civic engagement.

Speaking at the event, the Programme Manager of Nigeria Info FM Abuja, Swat Duniah-Adalumo, described the season as impactful and innovative, noting that the organisers introduced a school-based format to deepen participation.

“It has been quite an interesting journey for us. For the most part, it was engaging and driven by teamwork, I must appreciate my team for coming together to develop new ideas for this season.

“For this edition, we made it school-centric, unlike previous editions that focused on individual students, we wanted schools themselves to have a stake in the debate, this is something we are determined to sustain.

“It is our joy to see young people being shaped intellectually, individuals who can fit into society meaningfully, we take pride in knowing that Nigeria Info is contributing to grooming such talents,” she said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of KIRA, Obiechina Emmanuel, said the organisation sponsored the initiative to encourage young Nigerians to embrace debating and STEM-related pursuits.

“I have always been involved in debating from my early school days, so when I heard about this programme, I saw it as an opportunity to encourage younger ones to participate.

“I was very impressed with how the competition went. I am happy for the winners and even those who didn’t win, because they all performed excellently.

“Our aim in sponsoring this was not just visibility, but also to inspire young people to get involved in STEM and intellectual engagements like debating,” he said.

Reacting to their victory, Majesty Joseph of Government Day Secondary School, Karu, expressed appreciation to the organisers, noting that the win was a product of rigorous preparation.

“We are grateful to the organisers. A lot of preparation went into this for us to emerge winner of the competition.

“Our next focus is the Lagos stage and we are confident that we will come out victorious,” he said.

Fountain School, Jikwoyi, emerged second, winning N2 million, while Government Science Secondary School, Maitama, secured third place with a prize of N1 million.

The “I Beg to Differ” debate initiative is a flagship youth-focused programme designed to promote critical thinking, communication skills and civic consciousness among secondary school students in Nigeria.

(NAN)