A Postgraduate student, Prince Akachukwu, of Department of Biochemistry, Covenant University, came tops at the Students’ Debate Competition at the 4th Annual Conference of Society of Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria, held between 14 – 16 June 2022, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Akachukwu, a freshman M.Sc. student, participated in the debate titled ‘Testing Laboratories Are Important in Improving the Quality of Life in Nigeria’ during the conference of Public Analysts (COPA) 2022, and argued in favour of the topic.

Akachukwu attributed the feat to the support he got from the faculty-base of the Department, who he said were following up on him, and guiding him in putting together ideas and thoughts that galvanized him to success.

The Head, Department of Biochemistry, Professor Israel Afolabi, who was enthused by the award, said the feat was divinely orchestrated, noting that the application window for submission of entries was almost closed when they got wind of the competition.

Professor Afolabi said the achievement will serve as a morale booster to other students in the department to participate in competitions organised by professional bodies in the biochemistry field.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, congratulated Prince Akachukwu for flying the flag of Covenant University high, and the leadership of the College and Department for their prompt action despite the short window available for them to participate in the competition.

Professor Adebayo challenged Akachukwu and other students to always aim to be among the best in whatever they do. He noted that the University will keep supporting every student related activities, since they are the primary reason why the University exists.

“Recognise that the best is yet to come, be spurred to attain greater heights and keep doing the University proud, as the visionary platform provided by the University Board of Regents will keep supporting every developmental initiatives of the students and the entire University” he stated.

A total of 9 entries came in from Covenant University, Bells University, Caleb University, University of Lagos among others, while 8 were shortlisted for presentation, with representatives from Covenant and Bells Universities showing up for the oral debate. Competing students were scored on the basis of both written and oral presentation: with consideration also given to appearance, comportment, and content. The theme for the COPA 2022 was ‘Building Capacity for Global Competitiveness of Testing Laboratories in Nigeria.’

Also, present at the presentation of the result to the Vice-Chancellor were the Dean, College of Science and Technology, Professor Timothy Anake, Dr. Titilope Dokunmu and Dr. Iyanda Joel, both of Biochemistry Department.