Queens College Yaba has won the 2021 edition of the School of Eloquence annual Eloquence Cup competition for senior secondary schools in Lagos State.
Having witnessed a year break due to the pandemic, the competition which was usually between two schools, returned to accommodate ten schools this year.
The government-owned girls’ secondary school who was the defending champion of the competition defeated nine other secondary schools drawn from different parts of the State to retain the cup which they won in the last edition which took place in 2019.
In the individual category, the third prize was won by Ude Arinze Goodluck of Kings College Lagos, while Queens College, Yaba, Lagos bagged the second and first prize. Esther Eze came first, and Oluwakemi Lawal came second.
The first prize winner Esther Eze smiled home with a laptop, the second prize winner got a tab while the third prize winner was rewarded with exotic stationery and a school bag.
Similarly, the first of the Breakout speaker, Adjete Happiness of Dairy Farm Senior Secondary School Agege got a cash reward of N25, 000, while the second Breakout Speaker was Samuel Bakare of State Senior High School, Oyewole Agege who got a handsome reward of N15, 000 cash.
Announcing the award to the winners, the Founder of the school, Mr. Ubong Essien praised the performance of the nine participating schools saying, “Our young men and women here today have given us hope that in the next 15 to 20 years, our democracy will become deepened with our House of Representatives and Senate driven by quality and robust dialogue based on the power of speaking.
Mr. Essien while noting that the contest coincided with the 15th anniversary of the School of Eloquence, added that “In 15 years we have done a fantastic job of teaching the act of public speaking to our secondary schools.”
He further said that the school is evolving and growing to develop into an institution. “Our aspiration is for it to go national so don’t be surprised that in 2023 you have the Eloquence Cup in Lagos and Eloquence Cup in Abuja,” the Founder said.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Registrar of the School, Mrs. Patience Essien, said that the school has grown from strength to strength in the last 15 years of its existence.
According to her, the Eloquence Cup competition which started four years ago could not be held last year due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic which ravaged the world.
Before the face-off for the Eloquence Cup began, the alumni from the school educated the students on Career Guidance, Attitude, Protecting the girl-child, and the need for students to imbibe reading culture.
A Chartered Accountant and a Director in the Lagos State Civil Service, Mrs. Bawa Allah Folajimi took the students on Career Guide, while a Maritime entrepreneur, Mrs. Sarah Roberts discussed the issues surrounding the uplifting of the girl-child.
Mr. Taofeek Azeez, who is a Chartered Accountant, educated the students on attitude by stating that attitude will determine one’s altitude in life. He noted that their action is a reflection of their attitude, adding that the only way for them to get to the top is to maintain a positive attitude.
Also on the occasion was a Chartered Librarian and Head of the Library Unit of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Hajia Askira Aisha who spoke on ‘the importance of the library’ urged the students to imbibe reading culture, adding that reading will help them in their life long journey and even in their career. She admonished them to reduce the time they spend browsing the internet and watching television, advising them to spend more of their time reading in all areas of life.
The event which was witnessed by two members of the School Board, Mr. Seyi Sowemimo, SAN, and Mrs. Tonye Unuigbe came to end with the cutting of the School’s 15th-anniversary cake by members of the school authority, guests, and the participating students.