In mid-2003, I faced an audience at a National complex in Abuja comprising of the wife of the President, Senators, Ministers and other dignitaries. I had one minute to convince the judges that the Nigerian Police are not the friends of the populace - a tough job for a sixteen year old, especially considering the teeming number of armed policemen in the complex, glaring at me.
It was the Finals of the Presidential Debate, organized by the Presidency for all the Unity schools in Nigeria. I was representing my Alma mater, Federal Government College, Nise, as the Chief Speaker for the Finals. After the proposing and opposing sides have had their say, the Chief Speaker of the Proposing side, an eloquent brilliant girl from Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha, had offered a conclusion that roused a lot of applause from the audience. I had one minute to tear her arguments apart.
The road to the finals was arduous. There were four stages and as we smashed our oppositions, our fears increased. FGGC Onitsha were our regional rivals. They were also ascending and we were still smarting from the regional defeat we suffered in thier hands at the regional finals some months earlier. The girls were good, eloquent, articulate and have this 'sing-song' way of presenting their arguments.
A night before, after we won the semi-finals, our greatest nightmare became real. The topic of the final was 'The Nigerian Police are the friends of the populace'. We had flipped a coin and I had prayed we got the proposing side. Nah. We got to oppose the topic and we were not prepared. I rallied our team together and we went to work. Day broke, finals came, dignitaries arrived. It was show time. The debate had flowed well. But I know we needed a punchline, something epic to floor our opponents. As they were speaking, I was making points and countering them in my head, bidding my time.
As they called me to give my concluding one-minute rebuttal, I proceeded to pick apart most of the points raised by our opponents, to the chagrin and discomfort of policemen in the hall.
"I heard my opponents say that the Nigerian Police protect the public, especially our leaders but I would like to ask, where was the Nigerian Police when the Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, was murdered right inside his bedroom?"
A collective gasp escaped from the audience.
When I returned to my seat, I was numb, hoping in my heart that we win. We had come a very long way, braving sleepless nights, preparing, researching, memorising. We had done all we needed to do.
The judges announced the results, listing the points awarded to the speakers. In the end, they announced the FGC Nise Team as the winner of the 2003 Presidential Debate. I was overjoyed.
Nineteen years later, as I was in the shower this evening, this memory hit me with immense nostalgia. Special thanks to every member of that team starting from our amazing coaches Prof. Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto and Mrs. Okenwa, members of the 2003 FGC Nise Debate team - Fumnanya Ebigwei Idagbon, Ezinne Nnabuife-Iloh Stephanie, Chinyere Ugwu, Udokogu Onyeka, Emeka Uwandu, Emmanuel Akunne-Nduka, George, Nworah Helen and the late Chisom Okereke. 🕊️💔
I pray that in the new Nigeria 🇳🇬 we are fighting for, the Police will emerge to become friends of the populace. That the horror stories will end. Amen. 🙏❤️
