By Chiekezie Emmanuel

Enugu – The Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubisi Mbah has congratulated the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, for emerging winners of the 042 Coal City Debate competition organised by the State Government in collaboration with Zenith Bank.

The Governor in a message to the participating students shortly after the competition on Friday, said the debate tagged “Debate Cool _it” was designed to nurture critical thinking, creativity, and leadership among young people in the state.

While congratulating ESUT and all the participating schools, the Governor said the government will extend the spirit of intellectual challenge and growth from universities down to Smart Green Schools, helping to build resilient, globally competitive youths in our state.

ESUT emerged winners of the competition and were rewarded with ₦15, 000, 000 cash prize; Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, came second and got ₦5, 000 000 cash reward while the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, came 3rd.

“After 12 weeks of intense competition, yesterday I presented cash prizes to the talented debaters of the 042 Coal City Debate. The Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia presented the prizes on my behalf.

“Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) emerged as the grand winner, receiving N15 million, with N5 million awarded to the runner-up, the Institute of Management and Technology (INT), Enugu, while the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus came third.

“Congratulations to all the participants for their remarkable dedication. May they carry forward the lessons learned from this exercise and serve as exemplary models for others. We’ll continue investing in these young leaders who are the foundation of the society we envision for Enugu and Nigeria.

“This debate, tagged “Debate Cool-it,” was designed to nurture critical thinking, creativity, and leadership among our young people. Our administration is committed to building a culture of innovation, and this tournament is only the beginning. We aim to extend this spirit of intellectual challenge and growth from universities down to our Smart Green Schools, helping to build resilient, globally competitive youths in our state.

“The students addressed pressing issues such as climate change, governance, human rights, gender inequality, femimism, abortion, cybercrime and cybersecurity, and more. They learned to engage in respectful, constructive dialogue on complex societal topics. The participants have set a high standard, and their performances reaffirmed my belief in Enugu’s bright future,” the Governor said in statement on his social media handles