On Wednesday, June 27, 2024, the University of Ibadan secured the 2nd runner-up position at the eighth National Tax Debate competition, organized by The Tax Club of the University of Lagos. The competition took place at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos, under the theme “Reimagining Fiscal Strategies for Economic Growth and Development.”
The tax-based debate which aims to promote awareness and education about tax, as well as innovation and intellectual engagements, featured representatives from across several tertiary institutions nationwide.
The competition, which started by 9am, was in 3 stages where the Tax Club UI was ably represented by a team of four consisting Idowu Ademola, Adebayo AbdulRahman, Olatunji Bamidele and Ishola Sekinat, from the start of the competition till the end.
The first stage which entails an essay submission served as qualification to the subsequent stages. The team qualified for the finals after acing through a preliminary debate delivered by Idowu Ademola on the topic “Give to Caesar vs. Take from Caesar: Make a case for Tax Equity”.
The three other members; Adebayo AbdulRahman, Olatunji Bamidele, and Ishola Sekinat, advanced to represent the team in the final stage, where they delivered a PowerPoint presentation centered on the event’s theme, “Reimagining Fiscal Strategies for Economic Growth and Development.” Subsequently, they engaged in a Question & Answer session moderated by other teams and judges.
There was also an impromptu debate round among the qualified schools present at the event. The UI Tax club Team eventually emerged the second runner up, walking away with a prize of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#150,000).
Speaking with our correspondence, Mr. Olatunji Bamidele – one of the team members – talked about his experience at the event. He said; “I believe the event provided a valuable platform to address recurring fiscal issues and foster conversations that can help the country move forward. It was indeed a significant learning opportunity for me. Kudos to the Tax Club of Unilag for organizing such a remarkable event and for their warm welcome and hospitality.”
Sidiq Moshood.
