By BENJAMIN OMOIKE
Summayah Omotoyosi Sikiru, 20, has qualified to represent Nigeria at the 3rd edition of the International Public Speaking Competition, IPSC.
The 3rd edition of the Young Orators Competition was held virtually on April 2nd, 2022, having been on hiatus since 2019 due to the COVID-19 global crisis. The competition is the local version of the International Public Speaking Competition, IPSC, held annually in London and organised by the English Speaking Union.
Established in 1980, the IPSC now reaches over one million young people in more than 50 countries across the globe, showcasing the highest standard of public speaking, while giving delegates an opportunity to meet and engage with other young people of different backgrounds and nationalities.
The Young Orators 2022 edition had registration from all over the country with only seven making it to the national Final. The keenly contested oracy programme was held online with several audience watching from across the country, Summayah Omotoyosi Sikiru, a 20 year-old undergraduate of Mass Communication from Lagos State University, emerged the Nigerian champion and will be representing the country at the 2022 IPSC from May 9 to May 13.
According to Mr. Akinleye Olu-Philips the Team Lead at Peat Philips Foundation, the organizers of the competition and the franchise holder of the International Public Speaking Competition in Nigeria, the Young Orators is focused on improving communication skills and developing leadership potentials in youths while allowing students to develop their critical reasoning and analytical skills.
The International Public Speaking Competition is organised annually by the English Speaking Union (ESU), a charity registered in the UK that promotes international understanding through the use of English throughout the world.
The competition is targeted at students between the ages of 16 and 20 years old and winner of the competition travels to London, UK to represent Nigeria at the international finals of the IPSC every year, however in order not to disenfranchise any country from participating in the annual event the UK organizers has concluded again to hold this year’s competition as a virtual event the same way it was held in 2021 from May 9 to 13, 2022 because of the COVID-19 protocols that is still in place in some of the participating countries.
