A student of the University of Ibadan, Goodluck Ihuoma Akinlawon, has emerged the overall winner of the 2025 edition of Amnesty International Nigeria’s Intervarsity Debate.
The grand finale, held on Thursday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, also saw Odebala Odemena of Baze University, Abuja, clinch the first runner-up position, while Alexander Boroh from the University of Benin was named second runner-up.
Amnesty International described the 2025 edition as one of the most competitive yet, with a significant increase in participating universities during the preliminary stages. A total of 16 universities from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria were represented at this year’s event, themed “Empowering Voices, Inspiring Change.”
Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, commended the winners and all participants, noting that the debate continues to grow in both quality and impact.
“As a global human rights organisation, Amnesty International will continue to empower youth to play a role in our vision of a world in which every person enjoys all human rights,” Sanusi stated.
“By equipping students with advocacy and public speaking skills, we are empowering them to lead the conversations on justice, human rights, and accountability,” he added. “Ending the culture of silence begins with the youth learning that they have a right to speak and to be heard.”
Now in its third edition, the annual Intervarsity Debate aims to foster a culture of critical thinking and public engagement with human rights issues among Nigerian university students. Participants in this year’s contest tackled challenging topics related to justice, dignity, freedom, and accountability, using structured rounds of argument and evidence-based advocacy.
Participating institutions included: University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Port Harcourt, University of Benin, Landmark University, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Ahmadu Bello University, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Gombe State University, University of Maiduguri, Baze University, and Benue State University Makurdi.
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