The 'I Beg to Differ' Tournament of Champions is heating up as Tanvita Koushik secured the first semifinal spot with a convincing win over Olaloye Toluwalase.
The topic for the debate was "Local Governments Should Have Political and Financial Autonomy from States." Toluwalase argued against the motion, citing corruption at the local government level as a major obstacle to granting financial and political autonomy. He claimed that local governments have not been accountable with the funds given to them in the past and should not be trusted with full autonomy.
Koushik, on the other hand, believed that local governments, being the closest to the people, would be better equipped to serve the people if given financial and political autonomy. She also argued that increased autonomy would promote local economic initiatives, attract businesses and diversify the economy.
The champion from the November 2021 Edition of the tournament clarified that the state joint account which is controlled by the state government is largely responsible for missing funds.
Koushik was able to convincingly defeat Toluwalase with a cumulative score of 342 points to 283 points.
The quarterfinal action continues on Wednesday with Ramadan Oladipupo taking on Fabian Chigbundu by 3pm and Ruth Okorocha facing Musa Nicholas by 4pm.
The 'I Beg to Differ' Tournament of Champions promises to be thrilling with passionate and intelligent debaters vying for the top prize of two million Naira.
