JAW WAR 2019 FINALS: The Letdowns, The Myths and The Winners

Kevin Onuegbu

It was on the evening of Friday, 13th of December, that the world filled Trenchard Hall, the venue for Jaw war 2019 finalsthe place of the last bloodbath of words between the halls of residence and also the faculties that made it to the finals. It was a spectacular moment for the supporters of these finalists and this was exemplified by their uncontrollable exuberance in show of their solidarity throughout the show.

I have registered my displeasure for Jaw war in an article which was published earlier on titled “JAW WAR VS SUPERBOWL: WHO IS THE KING?” where I discussed at length the seemingly intractable loopholes of Jaw war 2019 and how the standards have declined over time. So I thought I was in for a great and grand show at the finals where at least the school management will honour us with their graceful presence, only to be disappointed by the scanty high table. I knew at the moment that Jaw war had had it. The fact that even a representative of the school management could not be found anywhere around the finals of Jaw war 2019 is the first let-down to be noted here.

But I, in my usual bubbly, optimistic self, shrugged it off; after all, I came to listen to beautiful, well-crafted speeches and perhaps grab one or two tangible points to hold on two. But behold! The sound system that day was discovered to be faulty – another let down. The resultant effect was simple- we, the audience, could barely make out clearly what some of the speakers were saying. However, much late at the peak of the show, the sound system got better and we could hear what was being said.

So I thought that the let downs were over, that the rest of the event would be unsullied, but then the last straw that broke the camels back was the total blackout at Trenchard hall when the results were to be announced. However, the light came eventually and the results, which everyone was anticipating, were announced.

For the halls of residence, Obafemi Awolowo Hall could not secure a victory over the prestigious Hall of Fame, Lord Tedder Hall. This must have been a great upset for Uites and most especially Awoites who have been assured by the myth that any hall that defeats Sultan Bello Hall from Jaw war wins the trophy. For four years, this myth has been unquestionable and undefiled. But right now, if there is anything we are sure of, it is the fact that this myth has been demolished and hence, a fallacy. All thanks to Tedderites who must have believed that nothing is impossible when ones mind is set towards achieving something. However, the Awoites must also be credited for having one of the best Jaw war seasons too. After all, they deleted the Great Sultan Bello hall at the first round, and then went further to delete Queen Idia and Great Ransome Kuti Hall at the quarter finals and semi finals respectively. With all these defeats and conquests, compared to their performances at previous Jaw war series, it is inarguable to say that Obafemi Awolowo Hall had the best season in Jaw war 2019. It could just be that they were not fortunate enough to gain a win over Lord Tedder hall and take the trophy home. On the other hand, the trophy smiled upon the Tedderites again after they won it in 2014 and 2015 consecutively. With this feat, it is arguable to say that the Hall of Fame is the best public speaking constituency in the Literary and Debating Society (TLDS) judging from the highest number of wins since the re-introduction of Jaw war in 2014.

For the faculties, the university world stood in bewilderment at the performance of the Premier Faculty, Arts, as it pales in comparison to the previous shows she put up at the earlier rounds. It was as if her lot was smitten by ill fate. All in all, it would seem as if the faculty of Arts was bent on making a statement that she could get to the finals. This holds sway due to the fact that Arts has never been to the finals since she won the trophy in 2014. But whatever impression this statement had on their sympathizers, it was definitely not a good one. The reason being that the majority of the audience rooted for Arts to win owing to three main reasons: firstly, Art is the only constituency that has not had below 70 points in all but last round of Jaw war. Secondly, Arts produced the highest number of best speaker of the day in all rounds of Jaw war – won by Adeyemo Mary and Adeyinka Gold. Thirdly, Arts took the defending champion, faculty of Education, home. With these points highlighted above, we can see that it is understandable why the university world felt stabbed by the paling performance of the Premier Faculty. Nevertheless, she (Arts) had a great Jaw war season. As for the Faculty of Science, the champion, I would not say that they did not deserve the trophy, but going by their previous performance at earlier Jaw war, particularly in the quarter finals where they had 57 points, one would not expect that they would make it to the finals. But they did and they won. I would not take their credits away from them. After all, they have shown resilience to win big debates.

All in all, as Jaw war 2019 came to an end. For some, it ended well, while for others, it ended in tears. But for me, Jaw war 2019 never began well and for something that didn’t begin well, the certainty of ending well is bleak. For a start, how would the supposed biggest public speaking platform in Nigeria and in the West Africa not have allotted venues for debates from the school management? In some rounds of Jaw war, the audience packed themselves like sardines into venues that could only cater for only half of their population. The reason for inconsistency in allotment of venue could be as a result of either of two things: either the management of The Literary and Debating Society (TLDS) has not written to the school management, stating their pressing needs or that they have written but the school management has been nonchalant about the whole Jaw war affairs.Secondly, how would a supposed biggest public speaking competition not have a way of rewarding all speakers that participated in all rounds? One of the speakers who craved for anonymity registered his displeasure on the fact that since the inception of Jaw war, she (Jaw war) cannot boast of any certificates of participation or recognition to all the speakers who mounted the podium in all Jaw war rounds. Certainly, our speakers deserve more.

It is at this juncture that I make a plea to the university management to come out in their fatherly way in the next round of Jaw war and shower their support financially or in other helpful measure in order to make Jaw war not only the biggest debate competition in West Africa, but also the grandest.