A team of talented students of St. John Vianney Science College, Ukwulu, Anambra State, have emerged as winners of the prestigious UK-Nigeria International Debate Championship.
The competition, which brought together top secondary schools from Nigeria and the UK, was held virtually on June 19, 2025.
The winning team, comprising Chibueze Jennifer, Obiokafor Catherine, Eneoli Benjamin, and Onwuegbusi Valentine showcased exceptional debating skills and impressed judges with their eloquence, clarity of thought, and strong argumentation.
Representing Nigeria were four elite schools: Britarch Schools, Abuja; Sure Start School, Abuja; St. Augustine’s College, Jos; and Saint John Vianney Science College, Ukwulu. Their UK counterparts included Central Foundation Girls’ School, Maghull High School, and Shireland High School.
The First Lady of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo, in a statement praised the students for defeating schools from the UK, some with Ivy League affiliations, saying it reinforces the importance of education in Anambra’s development agenda.
Soludo commended the staff and management of Saint John Vianney Science College for their dedication to academic excellence.
“This feat resonates with the Anambra spirit. Our state continues to mould record-setters and exceptional talents, empowered by the numerous opportunities our administration is creating.
“By clinching this prestigious prize, these brilliant students have proven once again that the heart of Anambra beats strongly in the pursuit of knowledge. Education remains one of our most cherished values, and this administration continues to invest in it strategically,” she said.
The UK-Nigeria International Debate Championship was organised by Bring It On Africa in partnership with Debate Mate UK, aiming to foster cross-cultural dialogue and strengthen critical thinking, oratory, and reasoning skills among secondary school students from both nations.
The wife of the Anambra State governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, has described the record achieved by students of Saint John Vianney Science College, Ukwulu, at the inaugural UK-Nigeria debate championship, as a great pattern that has become familiar in Anambra State.
The students from Anambra emerged the overall winner, beating counterparts from both Nigeria and the United Kingdom to clinch the coveted prize in which top-ranking schools from both countries participated.
“By defeating Ivy League schools to clinch the coveted grand prize, our great students have shown, once again, that education lives in the core of Anambra’s most cherished dream. It is a philosophy that our administration clearly understands and is constantly investing in to achieve the kind of result that we’re just celebrating”, Mrs Soludo said.
She commended the students for “shining the Anambra brand to the world, and proving that education is the bedrock of the state’s human capital excellence”.
