Students of Square College, Lekki, have emerged winners of the grand finale of the second regional finals of the "I Beg to Differ" Season 9 debate competition, clinching the N3 million top prize after a strong performance in the final round.
The winning team of Boluwatife Amoo and Oyinyechi Maduagwu secured a total score of 136.5 points, placing them ahead of their closest rivals after an intense contest judged across multiple debate rounds.
Coming in second was Vetland Senior Grammar School, Agege, represented by Oyinkansola Mary Popoola and Hepzibah Oluwajomiloju Olagbaju, who scored 129 points to win N2 million.
Both schools debated the topic, "Faith and science cannot co-exist," with Square College supporting and Vetland School opposing.
According to the judges’ scorecards, Square College dominated the debate rounds, beginning with the opening round, where all three judges scored the contest 10–9, 10–9, and 10–9 in the same direction, giving the school an early advantage.
In the rebuttal round, the judges again awarded 10–9, 10–9, and 10–9, maintaining the same scoring direction as the debaters challenged their opponents’ positions.
The closing remarks round followed the same pattern, with judges again scoring 10–9, 10–9, and 10–9, while the diction score for the debate segment was also 10–9 in the same direction.
The debate paused for a special presentation segment where the students delivered emotional speeches on the topic “My Mother”, in honour of mothers.
The presentations were heartfelt and moving, bringing all four contestants to tears and drawing strong reactions from the hosts and audience.
During the presentation round, two of the judges, Ama and Ufoma, scored the performances 10–9 and 10–9, respectively, in Vetland Senior Grammar School's advantage, and the chief judge, Chike, awarded 10 to 8.5, in the same direction.
The diction score for the round was again 10–9.
At the end of the competition, the combined scores gave Square College Lekki a total of 136.5 points, ahead of Vetland Senior Grammar School’s 129 points, securing the top position in the regional finals.
The top three schools - Square College, Vetland Senior Grammar School, and Halifield Schools - will go into the "I Beg to Differ" National Debate of Champions in August 2026, where they will compete for the national honours with schools from the other regional finals of Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Kano.
