Rep Umaru presents N10m cash award to winners of school debate

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Rep Jeremiah Umaru (APC, Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency) has presented N10.6 million as cash prizes to the winners of the secondary school debate competition in his constituency.

The debate was organised by the Federal Lawmaker for secondary schools across the 35 electoral wards of his constituency and started on August 25, 2024.

Speaking at the grand finale of the debate in Akwanga Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State, the lawmaker said that the gesture was part of his blueprint to invest in the youths and promote education.

Umaru said that he was impressed with the level of confidence and the composure of the participants and their sequence in arguing their points.

The lawmaker presented prizes to the best students and best schools who emerged as winners in the competition as well as consolation prizes to all the participating schools.

The Command Science Technical Secondary School Rinze, Akwanga LGA, emerged as the overall winner, while Baptist Academy, Wamba LGA, and Shepherd International College Akwanga emerged as the first and second runners-up.

He presented a cheque of N1 million and five laptops to the winner, N700,000 and three laptops, and N500,000 and two laptops to the first and second runners up respectively.

Umaru also presented N500,000 and one laptop to the best speaker, N250,000 and one laptop to the second speaker, and N150,000 and one laptop to the third speaker at the competition respectively.

He equally presented N200,000 and educational materials to each of the remaining 32 participating schools.

Umaru said that the debate would be an annual event to create a network among the students to expose them to standard best practices.

He said that the programme was designed to create a strong network for the students and provide them with a platform to speak to a larger crowd.

He, therefore, promised to continue to initiate programmes in various sectors to empower his constituents to justify their support at the poll.

Also, Abubakar Naralaba, (APC, Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituency) lauded his colleague for investing in the education of the youths to build their capacities and capabilities to compete with their peers in other clime.

He said that it was good to know that students from his state are this good and researchers on their rights.

Naralaba encouraged Umaru to sustain what he is doing and said that he would also replicate the same thing in his constituency for the overall benefit of the state and the country.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Miracle Danjuma of Baptist Academy Wamba, expressed gratitude to the lawmaker for the mentoring and the opportunity to enrich themselves academically.

She said that they have learned a lot during the camp from their teachers as well as the facilitators and appealed to others to emulate the lawmaker’s gesture by investing in the youths.