Lagos State University (LASU) has emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) Inter-Tertiary Institutions Debate Competition, outshining six other institutions in a gripping intellectual contest that placed environmental sustainability at its core.
Held as part of the 2025 Inter-Tertiary Institutions Environmental Summit in collaboration with eTranzact, the summit featured essay and debate competitions involving some of Lagos’s top tertiary institutions. LASU’s formidable team, under the mentorship of Samuel Olomu, delivered a standout performance that earned them the championship title and a grand prize of ₦1 million.
The team consisted of five articulate and intellectually astute students:
Oladipupo Ramadan (300-Level, Computer Science)
Atere Sarah Olateju (400-Level, Law)
Ajeniya Abdulquadri (400-Level, Law)
Kelvin Chukwuemeke Osadebe (300-Level, Public Administration)
Sulaiman Samad Olaitan (300-Level, English Language)
During the preliminary rounds on 19th May 2025 at the LASEPA Headquarters in Alausa, LASU posted a commanding 85% score, the highest among competitors, including UNILAG, LASUED, LASUSTECH, Anchors University, and St Augustine College of Education.
The grand finale, held on 27th May 2025 at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, featured a fierce intellectual face-off between LASU and LASUSTECH. The topic debated was “Plastic Pollution and the Challenges of Just Transition in a Developing Economy: Lagos as a Case Study.”
LASU’s presentation emphasized the urgent need to transition away from plastic usage, calling for sweeping policy reforms, sustainable alternatives, and heightened public awareness to mitigate the environmental crisis in Lagos. Their depth of research, persuasive delivery, and coherent arguments ultimately secured them the top prize.
Reacting to the victory, Dr Abiodun Fatai-Abatan, Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs at LASU, praised the team’s exceptional performance.
“LASU’s victory today reaffirms our position as a leading institution in both academic and extracurricular excellence. Our students continue to prove themselves as champions, and this success stems from the supportive, intellectually stimulating environment made possible by our world-class Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, who prioritises students’ capacity building and academic development,” he said.
He also applauded LASEPA for the initiative, stating that.
“The importance of competitions like this are invaluable, challenging students to engage critically with real-world issues, shaping them into future leaders and actors in the policy and development process.”
Samuel Olomu, the team manager, credited the victory to meticulous preparation and teamwork.
“Winning against universities like UNILAG and LASUSTECH shows LASU’s dominance in intellectual discourse. I urge the Lagos State Government to sustain such platforms, as they nurture future leaders in environmental sustainability.”
