NYFF Youth Leadership Debate Competition for Nigerian Students 2022

The 2022 Youth Leadership Debates is about giving confidence to your voice; leveraging your voice as an effective tool to bring about a transformed Nigeria. The goal of the Youth Leadership Debate Competition is to provide capacity building to select young people across tertiary institutions and support them to critically evaluate information, to advocate from the point of knowledge, and to collectively shape their vision for Nigeria, hence equipping them to be active citizens.

Institutions of higher learning have a leading role in providing solutions to myriad of challenges facing the economy and shaping the economy through cutting edge research and innovative activities. Hence, the universities should serve as a hub where young people are provided holistic and robust support, engaged in intellectual debates that have national relevance and young people are empowered to solve socio economic issues. Hence, the goal of the Youth Leadership Debates competition is to provide capacity building to select young people across tertiary institutions and support them to critically evaluate information, to advocate from the point of knowledge, and to collectively shape their vision for Nigeria, hence equipping them to be active citizens. The programme will engage university and tertiary-level students across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria through an online campaign and campus tour that will foster policy debates on key socio economic issues and inspire active youth participation in electoral and decision-making processes - especially in light of the 2023 general elections. The debates will be centered around the theme #TheNigeriaWeWant.

About Nigeria Youth Future Fund (NYFF)

Nigeria Youth Future Fund (NYFF) mission is to strengthen, support and enable young people in Nigeria for youth leadership, activism and social change through outcome-driven policy engagements and inclusive resourcing that will support youth in shaping and supporting medium and long-term national development. More than 70 percent of Nigeria’s population is made up of young people, with estimations of continuous growth in the next few decades. Given this significant number, it is evident that the future growth of Nigeria is linked to having an educated, skilled, healthy, and politicall... read more

NYFF Youth Leadership Debate Competition

Aim and Benefits of NYFF Youth Leadership Debate Competition

• 1st prize: N1,500,000; a laptop for each member of the team + other benefits.
• 2nd prize: N1,000,000; tablets for each member of the team + other benefits.
• 3rd prize: N600,000; a phone for each member of the team + other benefits.

Requirements for NYFF Youth Leadership Debate Competition Qualification

• Open to young people in tertiary institutions across Nigeria;
• Debate entries should be focused on the following thematic areas:
  • Employment and Education
  • Media, Sport and Entertainment
  • Health
  • Peace building and Security
  • ICT and Entrepreneurship
  • Climate Change and Environment
  • Civic participation

Interview date, Process and Venue for NYFF Youth Leadership Debate Competition

Nuggets for the Parliamentary Debate Style

• The Parliamentary Debate Style is quite distinct from the conventional style of debates adopted in Nigeria.
• Extensive research is required to convince the judges of the merits of your position.
• The initial salutations popular in the conventional style of debating are omitted in the Parliamentary style. Debaters are supposed to introduce themselves and continue with their motion.
• Debaters may request a Point of Information (POI) to contest or seek clarity for a statement made by a member of the opposing party
• For the purpose of the entry videos, applicants are encouraged to speak in anticipation of a rebuttal from an opposing party.
• In the parliamentary style, debating teams have the opportunity to present opening and closing arguments.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• A team of 3 to 4 students from the same tertiary institution applies by sending in a video of not more than 5 mins with 2 debaters addressing any socioeconomic issue from the 7 thematic areas.
• The video should be uploaded on any social media platform, and the link to the video should be provided on the application form.
• Evidence, such as course forms, of each team member, enrolled in the institution would be required.

For more details,visit NYFF website