On Saturday, January 3, 2026, Peoples Conscience held the seventh edition of its annual Ibarapa Debate Competition.
The competition began with an aptitude test in October 2025, from which 33 participants qualified for the essay phase to determine the finalists. At the end of the exercise, seven finalists emerged to represent the seven principal communities in Ibarapa land. They were Alayande Timileyin, Okunlola Amos Olamide, Alawode Emioluwa, Adekunle Precious, Adegbite Favour, Olalomi Toha Olamide and Olabode Sunday Christopher, representing Lanlate, Eruwa, Igboora, Idere, Ayete, Tapa and Igangan, respectively.
The panelists, Mr. Ijimakinwa Feyisitan Oladapo and Mrs. Danjibo Maryann Chidinma, both of the University of Ibadan, tested the finalists on oratory, essay writing and spelling bee.
However, Okunlola Amos Olamide of Baptist Model High School, Eruwa, who represented Eruwa community, emerged second runner-up with a total score of 59%. Alawode Emioluwa Olaeri of Hopecrest College, Igboora, representing Igboora community, emerged first runner-up with 69%, while Adegbite Favour Obayinka of Favourland College, Igboora, representing Ayete community, emerged winner of the seventh edition with a total score of 75%.
The winner was awarded N150,000, the first runner-up received N120,000, while the second runner-up went home with N100,000.
Dominic Akinjide Fagbemi Foundation also extended a university scholarship to Adegbite Favour, the overall winner. The foundation further promised N100,000 each to the seven participating schools as a token of appreciation for their commitment to educational advancement in Ibarapa land.
The guest speaker, Dr Peluola Oladehinde Titiloye, spoke on cyber safety and the responsible use of the internet and social media, advising students and members of the audience not to waste their time and future on social media platforms.
Dr Titiloye is a Nigerian scholar and Principal Lecturer in the Department of Adult and Non-Formal Education, Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, where he currently serves as Head of Department.
Among the teenagers who addressed the audience were Hon. Suliat Adeola Haruna, the One-Day Representative for Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency and Nigeria’s first One-Day Representative, Hon. Peace Oluwaseyi Oladosu. The duo urged their peers to remain focused on their academic pursuits. Hon. Oladosu also presented souvenirs to all participants, bearing the inscription of his newly founded foundation.
The official sponsor of the seventh edition of the competition was Dominic Akinjide Foundation (DAFF), a non-governmental and non-profit organisation focused on projecting the Ibarapa region by identifying talents and enabling people to achieve their full potential through initiatives in sports, education, scholarships and seminars.
The co-sponsor was Elegant Iconnect Resources (E.I.R) Nigeria Ltd, a diversified Nigerian company focused on innovation, sustainability and digital solutions across agriculture, food distribution and financial technology. Its subsidiaries include IconnectPAY, EIR Farms and EIR Food Store.
Partners of the event were Mr Ademola Toriola and the late Ogunlana Stephen.
The seventh edition of Ibarapa Debate Competition was attended by students from across the seven communities, dignitaries and stakeholders in education.
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