Debate has long been recognized as a cornerstone of intellectual development. It is where ideas are tested, arguments refined, and young minds shaped into articulate, analytical citizens.
Debate teaches students how to research, organize facts, and construct logical arguments or skills that transcend the classroom and prepare them for leadership in an increasingly complex world.
But beyond the techniques, debate is an exercise in perspective. It teaches empathy, the ability to understand opposing viewpoints and sharpens critical thinking by requiring participants to evaluate evidence, question assumptions, and discern credible sources in an age where misinformation spreads faster than truth.
For a generation raised on social media algorithms that amplify personal beliefs, this discipline could not be more urgent.
Debate also builds confidence and clarity. Students learn not just to speak, but to be heard. They find their voice, refine it, and use it to engage meaningfully with society’s most pressing issues from governance and technology to climate change and education reform. The process demands research, teamwork, and composure, producing young people who are not only articulate but emotionally intelligent and socially aware.
That’s the vision behind Dare2Debate, a Lagos-based initiative by multimedia firm HACmedia, set to hold on December 13, 2025. Endorsed by the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the competition is already being hailed as one of the most credible youth engagement platforms in the country.
The project, led by Davies Ikpoyi, is a movement. Under the broader umbrella of the Think. Speak. Lead. (TSL) experience, Dare2Debate has been designed to nurture the next generation of Nigerian thought leaders by giving them a stage to question the status quo, confront real-world challenges, and defend their convictions with intellect and respect.
Over the years, TSL has reached more than 3,000 students across Nigeria, helping them master public speaking, critical reasoning, and leadership. Now, Dare2Debate takes that mission to a national stage one where teenagers can prove that ideas, not noise, are what truly drive change.
At a time when civic engagement among young Nigerians is both needed and questioned, Dare2Debate is sowing the seeds of a new intellectual awakening. It is showing that in the power of argument lies the power to lead and that the future of Nigeria belongs to those who can not only speak but think.
Click here for more.
