NOA Partners Ife-Olukotun Annual Students’ Debate Competition
By Douglas Ahiaba – Abuja
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Ife-Olukotun Annual Students’ Debate Competition to support its 2025 edition, scheduled to hold on December 29, 2025.
The debate competition is a flagship youth-development initiative sponsored for almost a decade by His Royal Highness, Alhaji Isiaq Ajibola, the Akogun of Ife-Olukotun, with the aim of promoting intellectual excellence, civic awareness and positive values among young Nigerians.
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The partnership was formally endorsed on Monday in Abuja during a brief presentation by the Director of Youth Engagement and Inclusion of the NOA, Mrs Oyem Blessing Ngozi, who represented the agency.
Mrs Ngozi commended the consistency, vision and impact of the annual debate, describing it as a model youth-oriented programme deserving of national support. She noted that the credibility and longevity of the initiative made it worthy of partnership with a federal agency such as the NOA.
According to her, Nigerian youths remain central to nation-building and must consciously embrace positive values and constructive mindsets.
“Our youths must understand that they are key tools in promoting national values. We need to bring back cultures that teach us how to dress decently, speak responsibly in public, respect elders and become the true Nigerians we ought to be,” she said.
“Young people must remain positive, stop propagating negative narratives about Nigeria, and work hard to develop themselves with the right values. At the same time, our elders must rise to the responsibility of mentoring the youths and projecting a positive image of our country.”
As part of the partnership, the NOA presented educational and promotional materials to support the debate competition. The items included laptops, textbooks, exercise books, National Orientation Agency charters, and other learning materials.
In his response, HRH Akogun Isiaq Ajibola expressed appreciation to the NOA for recognising the debate competition and for its tangible support. He described the partnership as an endorsement of grassroots-driven initiatives focused on youth education, critical thinking and confidence-building for national development.
The Akogun assured the agency that the materials would be effectively utilised to make meaningful impact on the students, reiterating his commitment to using the annual debate platform to groom disciplined, confident and socially responsible young Nigerians.
Over the years, the Ife-Olukotun Annual Students’ Debate Competition has evolved into a respected forum for nurturing intellectual excellence, leadership skills and civic consciousness among students in the community and its environs.
(Democracy Newsline Newspaper, December 22ND 2025)
