UniAbuja Law Student Wins West African Speech Contest in Sierra Leone

Amra Salihu, a 500-level law student of the University of Abuja, has won the 9th Inter-Universities Speech Contest organised by the Intergovernmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA. She carried Nigeria’s name to Freetown, Sierra Leone, and came back with the regional title.

The contest took place on July 22.

Salihu did not enter the competition directly from the University of Abuja. She first had to win at home. She took part in a national selection exercise organised by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, and emerged as the winner. That result gave her the chance to represent Nigeria at the regional stage. From there, the pressure became bigger. She was no longer speaking only as a student. She was speaking as Nigeria’s representative, and other countries had brought their own strong contestants too.

According to the University of Abuja, Salihu faced contestants from The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. She finished ahead of them and won the contest. That was the final result. Nigeria came first through a 500-level law student from the University of Abuja.

The win came with prizes. Salihu received a winner’s plaque, a certificate of honour, and a cash prize of 1,000 US dollars. The rewards were given in recognition of her performance at the contest. She had already proved herself at the Nigerian selection stage, but Freetown was another test completely. Different countries were present. Different voices were present. The standard was regional. She still won.

Another 500-level law student from the University of Abuja, Abah Goodness, also travelled for the event. Goodness attended as an observer. Her role was different, but she was part of the university’s presence at the competition.

The students also had people guiding them before the contest. The University of Abuja said the team was coached by the Director of its Law Clinic, Dr. Nasiru Mukhtar. Mr. J. R. Gogol of the NFIU also supported the preparation and provided technical help. That support formed part of the work that went on before Salihu stood before the judges in Sierra Leone.

A speech contest can look simple from the outside. A person stands up and speaks. But the real work starts long before that moment. The speaker must understand the subject, know what to say, know what to leave out, arrange each point well, and still sound clear when the pressure rises. In a regional contest, there is little room to hide. Every contestant wants to win. Every country wants a strong result. Salihu went into that space and came out first.

The subject behind the competition also mattered. GIABA works on money laundering and financial crime in West Africa. These are serious issues across the region. Money laundering can hide the source of illegal money and help crime continue. Fighting it requires laws and strong public bodies, but people also need to understand the danger. This is where advocacy and public speaking can play a part.

When students speak about these issues, the discussion leaves official reports and enters normal public space. People can hear the message. They can understand the problem in plain words. Young people can also begin to see that financial crime is not a distant topic meant only for government offices, banks, or security agencies. It affects society, and awareness matters.

For Salihu, the contest brought law, public speaking, and public duty into one place. As a law student, she is already studying a field where clear speech matters. Lawyers explain. Lawyers argue. Lawyers defend ideas. They must think fast, use facts carefully, and speak in a way people can follow. Winning a contest like this shows strength in those same areas.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, reacted to the victory and congratulated Salihu. He also praised the Faculty of Law for the way it mentors and prepares students for academic success. His response placed attention on the work behind the win, not only the final prize.

Fawehinmi said the achievement reflects the university’s effort to produce students who can compete successfully on the international stage. He also repeated the university’s commitment to building a stronger global name through good academic performance. The idea is clear. The university wants its students to leave the classroom, meet others from different places, and still stand strong.

Salihu has now done exactly that.

She started with a national selection organised by the NFIU. She won it. She then travelled to Freetown to represent Nigeria. There, she met contestants from The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. She won again. That journey makes the achievement hard to ignore because the regional title came after she had already passed through an earlier contest.

The result also adds to the University of Abuja’s growing record in regional academic competitions. Each win like this gives the university another reason to keep supporting students who can compete outside the normal school setting. It also shows why mentoring matters. Talent can take a student far, but proper guidance can make a big difference when the stage becomes larger and the pressure becomes real.

There is also something powerful about a young law student using speech to draw attention to money laundering and financial crime. These are heavy topics, but they still need human voices. Laws can exist on paper, and agencies can do their work, but awareness must reach people too. Public speaking helps make that happen.

For the University of Abuja, the victory is a strong academic result. For Salihu, it is a personal success earned on a regional stage. For Nigeria, it means one of its students stood before other West African contestants and finished first.

Amra Salihu left Freetown with a plaque, a certificate of honour, and 1,000 US dollars. She also left with the title of winner of the 9th Inter-Universities Speech Contest. She earned it after first winning in Nigeria and then beating contestants from four other West African countries. That is the simple truth of the story, and it is a result worth remembering.