By: Adebanjo Zainab Adejoke
The Literary and Debating Society, University of Ibadan (TLDS UI) has unveiled plans for the 2026 edition of “Jaw War,” the largest inter-hall and inter-faculty public speaking competition in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the Faculty of Social Sciences set to face Dentistry in one of the opening faculty fixtures.
This was disclosed during a press conference held at the Infinix Resource Center on Friday, May 8, 2026.Speaking at the event, TLDS UI President, Akinloye Goodness announced the theme for the 12th edition of the public speaking tournament as “Africa and the Burden of Tomorrow: Power, Identity, and the Future of Freedom.”According to him, this year’s competition is aimed at critically examining the state of Nigeria and the African continent amid global political and cultural shifts shaping contemporary society.
He also added that the competition would feature over 40 debate topics across various sectors and industries to stimulate conversations capable of contributing to Africa’s development and global relevance.
Speaking on the restructuring of the competition, he disclosed that Jaw War 2026 would introduce several modifications as the society seeks to build on the competition’s reputation as one of the biggest student events at the University of Ibadan, alongside matriculation and convocation ceremonies.
He explained that the tournament would retain its “second-leg” format across all categories, bringing the total number of rounds to seven.
The official schedule for the competition was also released, with activities beginning with the press conference and city qualifiers on May 8, followed by the Jaw War Rally on August 30. The opening ceremony and first-leg rounds across all categories are scheduled for September 1, while the first round of the faculty category will be held on September 3. The second-leg rounds across all categories will take place on September 5, followed by the second round of the faculty category on September 9.
Quarter-final fixtures for both faculty and all-category contests are expected to be held on September 12. The first-round fixtures for the hall category include Mellanby vs Awo Hall, Bello Hall vs ABH, Zik Hall vs Kuti Hall, Indy Hall vs Idia Hall, and Tedder Hall vs Queens Hall.
For the faculty category, the opening fixtures include Veterinary Medicine vs Technology, Public Health vs Economics, Science vs Law, Basic Medical Sciences vs Renewable Natural Resources, Environmental Design and Management vs Pharmacy, Agriculture vs Computing, Social Sciences vs Dentistry, Clinical Sciences vs Education, and Nursing vs Arts.
