The annual local intellectual championship battle has lived up to it bidding as a battle not in words as expected but in it practical sense.
The 2013 Local NUGS Debate in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology ended up in total disarray because of what some aggrieved students say is biasness on the part of officials.
The two-day debate started on a rather beautiful note with the first day revealing some splendid and spectacular performances from all the representatives from the various halls.
But tension started bubbling when the jury which was made up of second year females decided to allow representatives of Africa Hall go through to the next stage.
Patrons were surprised when groups from Republic Hall who arguably surprised audience with skilled presentation and analysis were also shown the exit.
The tension gradually heightened when all two groups of the Unity Hall qualified for the next round despite performance that patrons describe as awful together with one of the groups of their arch rivals, the University Hall (Katanga).
“Katangees” of the University Hall couldn’t agree to the decision of the all-female jury and so resorted to violent protests by disrupting the progress of the debate on the second day.
They began packing the chairs of patrons, jury and other officials thereby disabling them from performing their roles.
The defending champions (“Katangees”), with the help of their ‘bombadia’ (usual noise making local device) produced high intensity of unpleasant noise in the hall leading to the abrupt end of the competition.
According to them, it is a ploy by officials to meander Unity Hall through to the crown of the competition as a consolation as they mark their 45th Anniversary in the face of what they say is the hall’s appalling performance in the competition over the years.
Residents of Unity Hall upon noticing this development brought “reinforcement” to the debate grounds amidst singing and drumming and engaged the “Kantangees” in a battle of unprintable words at each other for hours.
The “Katangees” also accused the president of local NUGS; Paul Worlanyo of saying that University Hall is not part of the last four even before the second round of the competition started.
This is the third time in succession that the annual local NUGS debate competition has ended unexpectedly without a winner.
Last year, the “Katangees” had to receive their trophy in a closed door ceremony because of similar misunderstanding of judges’ decision among other issues.
President of Local NUGS-KNUST, Paul Adanu Worlanyo, has condemned the actions of aggrieved “Katangees” though he is an affiliate of the University Hall.
Speaking on Leadership Corner on Focus Fm, he stated that he had asked participants to write formally to the secretariat if they had any concerns to raise after the first day of the competition but no hall raised a concern.
He advised students in the University to resort to addressing issues on paper and amicably than using violence.
The President of Unity Hall, Charles Opoku Duah, though supported the NUGS President however expressed disgust at the turn of event and blamed NUGS for not strengthening the security at the premises as promised.
A section of the student populace blames the organizers of the annual competition for engaging the services of young second year students.
Though they are part of the school’s debate team, some debate lovers believes if much more matured members of the debate team were employed, the situation could have been avoided.
