Honeyland College, Lagos, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the I Beg To Differ Season 9 National Finals after defeating Great Solid Rock College, Lagos, in the opening Round of 12 debate.
The two schools faced off on the motion: “Nigeria’s political class has done more to divide than unite Nigerians.”
Arguing for the motion, Honeyland College said Nigeria’s political class has repeatedly exploited ethnic, religious and regional differences to gain and retain political power.
The school also cited vote buying, political violence, insecurity, perceived unequal representation and the concentration of political appointments as examples of how political leadership can deepen divisions among Nigerians.
Opening for Honeyland College, Omoregie Joseph argued that Nigeria’s diversity is not the problem, but that political actors often turn those differences into tools for political competition.
He said politicians sometimes encourage citizens to identify with ethnic, religious or regional groups rather than with the country as a whole.
His teammate, Precious, challenged Great Solid Rock College’s argument that political institutions have largely promoted unity.
She pointed to insecurity affecting National Youth Service Corps members, disputes over election results and the continued dominance of established political figures as evidence that political structures have not necessarily translated into national cohesion.
Great Solid Rock College, arguing against the motion, maintained that the political class has done more to unite Nigerians than divide them.
The school pointed to the National Youth Service Corps, established after the Nigerian Civil War to promote interaction among young Nigerians from different parts of the country.
It also cited unity schools, the federal character principle and constitutional provisions designed to ensure representation across Nigeria.
Great Solid Rock College further argued that political leaders have at different times chosen reconciliation and national unity over division.
It referenced the post-Civil War policy of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction, as well as former President Goodluck Jonathan’s peaceful acceptance of the 2015 presidential election result.
After the three rounds of presentation, rebuttal and closing arguments, the adjudicators awarded Honeyland College a 74 to 66.5 lead.
The audience vote also went in Honeyland’s favour, with 59 per cent of the vote against Great Solid Rock College’s 41 per cent.
Honeyland College eventually won by a unanimous decision with a final score of 79.9 points to 70.6 points.
The victory makes Honeyland College the first school to qualify for the quarterfinals from the Round of 12.
Great Solid Rock College, however, still has a chance to remain in the competition through the tournament’s wild-card system, which allows one losing school to return based on an audience vote.
The Round of 12 features 12 schools competing for places in the quarterfinals.
The top-ranked winner will face the eventual wild-card qualifier in the quarterfinals, making every point scored during the debates significant.
With Honeyland College through to the quarterfinals and Great Solid Rock College waiting on the wild-card vote, the battle for the final eight places in the national championship continues.
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