LAAS Speech Squad Launches Podium to Spotlight Talents

By Doreen Austins, Mighty Oluwayemi, Vanessa Foubri

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The Linguistics African and Asian Studies (LAAS) Speech Squad hosted its first Linguist’s Podium on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos (UNILAG) to spotlight student talents in public speaking and performance.

The non-competitive-based event themed “Express, Engage, Excel” saw participants showcase their talents in poetry, spoken word, debate, public speaking, and spelling. Their performances were observed, and feedback was provided by the judges.

Speaking on the success of the event, the convener and founder of LAAS Speech Squad, Adetayo Adeleke, said that it is a “dream come true, born out of real sacrifice, sleepless nights, and relentless efforts.” He also added that the event was inspired by last year’s Faculty of Arts Students Association’s (FASA) Word War.

Organising the event wasn’t without challenges for the conveners, and as mentioned by Mr Adeleke in an interview with UNILAG Sun, they included the late resumption of students and financial constraints. He also noted that turnout at the event was low because there were not enough incentives to attract participants.

For future editions of the event, Mr Adeleke disclosed that it would be held every academic session. He further added that it would be transformed into a competition where participants would be scored and winners would emerge.