Damilare Babajide, a 4th year law student at the University of Lagos (Unilag), over the weekend took home a brand new car and other unnamed perks after emerging winner of the 2014 Miss Unilag pageant. Ms. Babajide’s windfall immediately ignited a debate among students and lecturers, with some criticizing the material rewards bestowed on a so-called beauty queen when the same university hands a mere computer and some cash to winners of its demanding debate contest
One lecturer, who asked for anonymity, said he was troubled that the car and other gifts to the university’s beauty queen far outstripped the prizes given on September 10 to the winner of the university debate competition. Zainab Olaitan, a 2nd year political science major at Unilag who won the university’s rigorous academic debate competition, was awarded N100,000 and a laptop computer.
The lecturer also noted that last year’s winner of the debate competition, Ms. Mary Adegunloye, received a laptop and N50,000. “I understand that the university management was planning to give the same paltry sum of N50,000 cash prize this year to the winner of the debate, but decided to double the cash prize because of criticisms from some lecturers and student leaders,” said the source.
Reacting to the disparity in gifts for the beauty contest and the debate competition, a few students told correspondents that the relatively small reward for intellectual achievement was likely to affect the academic morale of students on campus.

We are self-sabotaging ourselves in the most ideological things.
I'm afraid of the future if things like this continue.

Dats why everyone wants to join the entertainment industry nw. Who get time to read nw?

What can I say? Even in the so-called ivory towers, academic achievement is not adequately encouraged!
Now tell me why a student would be encouraged to gun for glory in this circumstance? I'm sure the best student won't even be popular in her faculty while the pageant winner will most likely have lunch with Fashola!
This is equally my grouse with MTN and other big companies that pour huge amounts of money into vanity shows like Project Fame and the rest without really encouraging academic growth, which is what we need. Technically and academically gifted lads are demoralized due to lack of sponsorship. Personally, I believe we have enough 'musicians' in this country. We need more academicians!

jumxix:
Damilare Babajide, a 4th year law student at the University of Lagos (Unilag), over the weekend took home a brand new car and other unnamed perks after emerging winner of the 2014 Miss Unilag pageant. Ms. Babajide’s windfall immediately ignited a debate among students and lecturers, with some criticizing the material rewards bestowed on a so-called beauty queen when the same university hands a mere computer and some cash to winners of its demanding debate contest
One lecturer, who asked for anonymity, said he was troubled that the car and other gifts to the university’s beauty queen far outstripped the prizes given on September 10 to the winner of the university debate competition. Zainab Olaitan, a 2nd year political science major at Unilag who won the university’s rigorous academic debate competition, was awarded N100,000 and a laptop computer.
The lecturer also noted that last year’s winner of the debate competition, Ms. Mary Adegunloye, received a laptop and N50,000. “I understand that the university management was planning to give the same paltry sum of N50,000 cash prize this year to the winner of the debate, but decided to double the cash prize because of criticisms from some lecturers and student leaders,” said the source.
Reacting to the disparity in gifts for the beauty contest and the debate competition, a few students told correspondents that the relatively small reward for intellectual achievement was likely to affect the academic morale of students on campus.

Hey jumxix