By Esther Thanni-Balogun
Five halls recorded victories in the second leg of the inter-hall category of the 12th edition of Jaw War 2026, held on Saturday, September 5, at the New Faculty Lecture Theatre (NFLT), Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan.
The debates, themed “Africa and the Burden of Tomorrow: Power, Identity and the Future of Freedom,” featured 10 halls competing across five rounds.
The judging panel comprised Professor Ayede as Chief Judge, Mr Adesola and Mr Peter Cole, while Olaniyan Abdulsalam served as timekeeper.
According to Professor Ayede, each speaker was assessed on eight criteria: appearance, delivery, content and facts, persuasiveness, logic, refutation, time management, and structure and organisation. Content and facts carried the highest allocation of 30 marks, followed by delivery with 20 marks.
Each speaker was allotted five minutes, with a bell signalling the fourth minute and continuous ringing indicating the end of the allotted time.
Obafemi Awolowo Hall opened the second leg against Kenneth Mellanby Hall, with both halls debating whether a fully floated naira is a more sustainable path to economic stability than the previous managed float system. AWO scored 76.05 per cent, while Mellanby recorded 72 per cent.
Sultan Bello Hall faced Alexander Brown Hall in the second round on whether the conditionalities attached to International Monetary Fund (IMF) programmes represent a continuation of colonial control or are necessary for stability and growth in African economies. Bello scored 76.3 per cent against ABH’s 70.3 per cent.
The third contest saw Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall and Ransome Kuti Hall debate the viability and necessity of the debt-for-climate swap model for African countries seeking to manage sovereign debt and achieve sustainability goals. Kuti emerged with 73.3 per cent, while Zik recorded 71.3 per cent.
Great Independence Hall secured the highest score of the second leg, recording 81 per cent against Queen Idia Hall’s 68.6 per cent in a debate on whether Pan-African economic integration is essential for Africa’s development.
The final contest featured Lord Tedder Hall and Queen Elizabeth II Hall, debating whether the rapid, unregulated growth of FinTech startups or the structural dominance of traditional banking poses a greater threat to national financial stability. Tedder scored 78.6 per cent, while Queen recorded 60.6 per cent.
Following the debates, five speakers were nominated for the Best Speaker Award. Bolarinwa Israel of Great Independence Hall, who was the first speaker for his hall in the fourth round, emerged as the winner, and Alexander Brown Hall was named Best Loser of the second leg.
The cumulative scores announced at the end of the second leg placed Great Independence Hall at 82.4 per cent, followed by Lord Tedder Hall at 79.9 per cent. Ransome Kuti and Sultan Bello halls both recorded 76.3 per cent, while Obafemi Awolowo Hall stood at 76.1 per cent.
Hall Rounds Cumulative Results:
- Mellanby — 69.6%
- AWO — 76.1%
- Bello — 76.3%
- ABH — 74.97%
- Zik — 73.7%
- Kuti — 76.3%
- Indy — 82.4%
- Idia — 71.7%
- Tedder — 79.9%
- Queens — 66.7%
