Kwara Pupils Clinch Presidential Debate Title For Fifth Straight Time
Pupils from Kwara State have emerged overall winners of the 2026 Presidential Schools Debate Championship for a record fifth time. The team defeated Lagos State 5-1 in the final held in Abuja, extending the state unbeaten run in the national competition.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has congratulated the pupils for the historic feat. He said, I am very glad to learn that Team Kwara has won the highly competitive 2026 presidential school debate for a record fifth time.
He praised the pupils, their tutors and officials for sustaining the state reputation for excellence.
The victorious team comprised Halimoh Abdulazeez from Ilorin West, Khadija Kazeem from Offa, Omolola Ibrahim from Moro and Samaila Daniel from Ilorin East.
The four pupils represented public primary schools in Kwara and impressed judges with their confidence, clarity and depth of argument throughout the championship.
The 66th edition of the championship, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, featured pupils from public primary schools across the country. Team Kwara defeated representatives of Edo, Delta, Katsina, Niger and Lagos on its way to the final, winning different stages of the contest before the decisive victory over Lagos.
The pupils received a trophy and a cash prize of N500,000 from the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Aisha Garba. Garba expressed delight at the pupils performance and congratulated them on their achievement, describing it as a reward for hard work and discipline.
The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, was also honoured as the Best SUBEB Chairman in Nigeria at the event. The recognition was seen as further affirmation of the state investment in basic education and its structured approach to talent development.
The Presidential Schools Debate is a national academic competition designed to promote reading culture, critical thinking, research skills and public speaking among pupils. Kwara fifth consecutive title has reinforced its status as a national leader in basic education debate, and officials say the feat will inspire more pupils across the state to embrace reading, research and public speaking.
