The National Debate Training Program (NDTP), undertaken as the Community Development Service (CDS) project of NYSC Corps Member Ms. Janefrancis Ijeoma Abuta in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC), has entered its active training phase following a successful registration exercise that drew participation from across the country.
Registration, which closed on Friday, 17th April 2026, yielded 73 participating universities and 109 debate teams, with a total of 218 student debaters drawn from institutions spanning all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Among the participating institutions are the University of Jos, University of Port Harcourt, PAMO University of Medical Sciences, and the Nigeria Police Academy, reflecting the programme’s broad national reach.
Each institution is supported by a designated Staff Adviser — comprising Directors of Academic Planning (DAPs), Deans, Student Affairs Representatives, and Debate Society Presidents — alongside a Contact Person responsible for coordination between the institution and the programme secretariat, bringing the total number of institutional representatives engaged to 146.
Training Underway via Virtual Platform
Training commenced on Monday, 20th April 2026, and is being conducted entirely via Zoom, enabling real-time participation across institutions regardless of geography. Sessions run Monday to Friday, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and three sessions have been successfully delivered to date.
The training is facilitated by Royal Rhetorics, a debate coaching organisation whose trainers bring verifiable competitive and coaching credentials at both continental and global levels. Sessions delivered to date have been led by the following trainers:
Eze Nwakuba, Co-founder of Royal Rhetorics and a debate coach based in China, who was part of the 1st Breaking ESL Team at the World Universities Debating Championship 2026 in Bulgaria, and an Open Finalist at the Pan African Universities Debating Championship 2024 in Uganda.
Ayodele Samuel, Coach of Team Nigeria at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC), 2-time Champion and Best Speaker at the Nigerian Tournament of Champions (2023 and 2024), African Youth Trade Debate Challenge Champion (Zambia), and also a member of the 1st Breaking ESL Team at the World Universities Debating Championship 2026 in Bulgaria.
Velina Andonova, an international trainer and Open Finalist at the World Universities Debating Championship 2026 in Bulgaria, Open Champion at the Black Sea European Debating Championship 2023, Chief Adjudicator at the Copenhagen European Debating Championship 2025, and Open Finalist at both the Princeton Intervarsity and Oxford Intervarsity 2025.
Additional Royal Rhetorics trainers are scheduled to facilitate subsequent sessions as the programme progresses through its curriculum.
Sessions focus on structured argumentation, critical reasoning, persuasive communication, and motion analysis — competencies that mirror skills increasingly sought by employers across Nigeria’s public and private sectors. The programme is designed with graduate employability as a central objective, positioning structured debating as a practical vehicle for developing workforce-ready graduates.
Championship to Follow
The training phase is scheduled to run through 1st May 2026. The NUC Debating Championship 2026 will commence on 4th May 2026, with Preliminary Rounds running from 4th to 8th May, Elimination Rounds from 11th to 14th May, and the Grand Finale on 15th May 2026. All 109 teams will compete in the preliminary stage, with the field progressively narrowed through elimination rounds to a championship final. Royal Rhetorics will sponsor the championship, with a prize pool of ₦500,000 for the winning institution.
Acknowledgement
The NDTP Coordination Team acknowledges the National Universities Commission for its institutional collaboration and for facilitating communication with universities nationwide, which was instrumental to the successful rollout of the programme.
Further updates will be provided as the programme advances.
— Ms. Janefrancis Ijeoma Abuta, NYSC Corps Member, Batch A 2025Convener, NDTP & NUC Debating Championship 2026