Covenant University (CU) has emerged the overall winner of the 2018 All-Nigeria Universities Debating Championship (ANUDC) hosted by the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) between September 23rd and 29th, 2018.
At the competitive tournament, the body that coordinates championships among Nigerian universities, the ANUDC led by Dr. Ndubuisi Oswagwu of the University of Calabar, adjudged Covenant University as the overall winner of the prestigious national inter-varsity championship, having beaten Imo State University and host, University of Ilorin to the second and third positions respectively.
Also winning individual awards and medals were Dominic Dominic and Jenny Odjugo, who emerged among the Best Debaters at the Championship.
Covenant University was having her fourth stint in the competition, having had her inaugural participation at the 2nd edition of ANUDC in 2014 at the University of Lagos. In 2016 when Covenant University hosted the championship, she emerged winner in the Public Speaking category, while the University of Ilorin emerged the overall champion of the tournament.
Interestingly, Covenant University has now won on University of Ilorin grounds as the latter had won in Covenant two years ago.
The Covenant University Literary and Debating Society (CULDS), under the able leadership of the founder, coordinator and coach, Professor Sheriff F. Folarin, became the first private university to host the ANUDC in 2016 and to win it in 2018.
Professor Folarin had led the team to national and international tournaments, where some important awards had been won. Nevertheless, the most prestigious of the outings was the 2018 national championship which Covenant clinched with an overwhelming consensus of the Core Adjudication Panel (CAP) and the entire Nigerian universities congregation. Professor Folarin is the current National Vice-President of ANUDC and served as Chairman of Council all through the tournament in the inevitable absence of the President.
The first ANUDC was won by the University of Calabar. The second edition was won by the University of Lagos, third by Imo State University, fourth by University of Ilorin and fifth was won again by the University of Calabar.
