LASU Debate Society
“Valour in Speech”
Raising communicators, storytellers, debaters, and leaders who shape conversations and transform communities at Lagos State University and beyond.
More than a debate club —
a leadership platform.
LSUDS is the official public speaking society of Lagos State University. We represent the institution at competitions, train members in the art of public speaking, and organise speaking events for the wider campus community.
Beyond debate, the society is a platform for leadership development, communication excellence, and personal transformation, built on the belief that excellence in speech is inseparable from excellence in leadership.
Multi-award winning,
by the numbers.
A record built on excellence.
Since its founding, LSUDS has produced a significant number of certified public speakers who carry the society's standard forward.
Multi-Award Winning
Recognised both as a collective body and through individual member achievements at external competitions.
Certified Public Speakers
A growing roster of trained, certified speakers shaped through structured public speaking and leadership programmes.
National Representation
Members have represented LASU at speaking platforms and competitions across Nigeria and beyond.
Leadership Development
Every event, training, and competition is designed to create measurable impact on members' leadership capacity.
Our programmes
Four stages. One mission.
From flagship events to an annual retreat, every LSUDS programme is built around one belief: that the right words, spoken well, can change everything.
The Biggest Storytelling Event in Africa
LISTEN
LISTEN is not a debate or speech contest. It is a curated platform where selected speakers — drawn from within LASU, from public life, and from the broader Nigerian society — share deeply personal stories that reform, transform, and inform. Each edition is anchored by a single life-defining theme, and every story connects to that theme through lived, authentic experience.
- 8 editions held since 2019
- Held at Buba Marwa Auditorium, LASU Ojo
- Hosts Nigeria's most celebrated public voices
- Thousands of attendees across all editions
The Internal Proving Ground
Word War
Word War is LSUDS's internal debate and public speaking competition. Members research, argue, and present ideas persuasively under competitive conditions — sharpening critical thinking, diction, logic, and stage presence. It is the primary feeder pathway for identifying the speakers who will go on to represent LASU at external competitions.
- Open to all LASU students
- Multiple competitive rounds
- Structured judging and feedback
- Winners represent LASU externally
Transition · Poetry · Celebration
Change of Guard
& Poetry Slam
Change of Guard is LSUDS's formal handover ceremony — the moment one administration passes the baton to the next. But this is no ordinary handover. Woven into the same event is a Poetry Slam: an electric evening of performance poetry where members and guests take the stage to speak, move, and electrify the room. Leadership meets art in one unforgettable night.
- Formal handover of leadership between administrations
- Live poetry slam performances on the night
- Open to members and guests
- Celebrates both legacy and new beginnings
The Annual Leadership Retreat
Orator's Retreat
The Orator's Retreat is an annual, multi-day public speaking and networking event hosted by LSUDS. It is designed to help students master communication, storytelling, and delivery through intensive practical drills and expert-led sessions. Orator's Retreat 4.0, themed "Odyssey," was successfully held from November 19th to 23rd, 2025.
- Annual, multi-day retreat format
- Intensive practical drills and expert-led sessions
- Builds communication, storytelling & delivery skills
- Latest edition: 4.0 "Odyssey" — Nov 19–23, 2025
Voices from Our Community
What our members say
LSUDS didn't just teach me how to speak. It taught me how to think, lead, and show up for a room. The friendships and confidence I built here are things I carry everywhere.
LISTEN Edition V was the moment I realised storytelling could change a room. Being on that stage was the most terrifying and most fulfilling thing I have done in university.
Word War prepared me for my first external competition better than any textbook could. The pressure, the research, the feedback — it made me a sharper thinker and a more confident speaker.
Your Journey Begins Here
Your voice has power.
Learn to use it.
Join a society that has been transforming students into communicators, thinkers, and leaders since 2018.