Funmi Ogundare
With their project innovation on rapid alert system for community security, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa, Tuesday, emerged winner of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), aimed at advancing engineering innovation in Nigeria.
For their efforts, the school represented by team Mavericks, received a cheque of N50 million and a trophy, while their school will also get a Centre of Excellence building.
University of Ibadan represented by team Aurora, came second with their ‘Aurora Birth’ innovation.
They received a cheque of N30 million and N75 million worth of equipment for their school’s engineering faculty.
University of Jos and University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) represented by teams Fortizo and Flameless, came third and fourth positions, respectively, with their solar-powered AI-device and energy Innovations.
Team Fortizo received a cheque N20 million and N50 million worth of equipment for their Faculty of Engineering, while team Flameless got N10 million for their efforts. Other finalists also received laptop computers for their efforts.
Speaking at the grand finale in Lagos, themed ‘Inspiring Engineering Solution,’ President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Rabiu Ali Alimasuya, called on industry leaders and corporate organisations to invest in young engineering innovators by supporting the incubation, patenting, funding and commercialisation of their ideas.
Alimasuya, who was represented by the former President of the association, Margaret Aina Oguntala, said the competition had evolved into a national innovation movement aimed at transforming students’ ideas into practical solutions for national development.
She recalled that the initiative was conceived following a meeting on July 3, 2024, during the Nigeria oil and gas conference in Abuja, where discussions with the Executive Secretary, Dr. Felix Ogbe, on the role of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in supporting engineering innovation led to the birth of the olympiad.
According to her, what began as a simple conversation later gained the support of the NCDMB board, while funding partners, including Renaissance Africa and First E&P, subsequently came on board to make the project a reality.
“It is okay to have an idea, but what matters is developing those ideas into solutions,” she stated, while expressing appreciation to all the organisations and individuals that contributed to the success of the initiative.
Oguntala, who is also the first female president of the NSE, explained that the vision behind the olympiad was to create a national platform that identifies talented young engineers, develops their capacities, promotes entrepreneurship and transforms innovative ideas into scalable solutions capable of driving Nigeria’s development.
She described the competition as more than an academic contest, saying it was a deliberate investment in youth development and the future of engineering innovation in the country.
Congratulating the participating students and institutions, she commended their creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, noting that Nigerian youths possess immense innovative potential but require opportunities, mentorship and support to thrive.
“The future belongs to those who dare to create. You have demonstrated your abilities today, and the future is even brighter than you can imagine,” she stated.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Suleiman Halilu, challenged Nigerian researchers, universities and innovators to move beyond developing prototypes by commercialising research outputs into products that address societal needs and drive the country’s industrial transformation.
Halilu who was represented by the Deputy Director Engineering Infrastructure Department at the agency, Emmanuel Ajani, said Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not the lack of innovation but the inability to translate research breakthroughs into commercially viable products that can improve lives and strengthen the nation’s economy.
He disclosed that the top three winners of the competition would be admitted into the NASENI Innovation Hub, where they would receive business development support, mentorship and access to manufacturing facilities to help transform their prototypes into market-ready products.
According to him, the agency’s Innovation Hub is designed to equip innovators with entrepreneurial skills, assist them in developing sustainable business models and connect them with manufacturing partners before they eventually establish their own production lines.
“The distance between a prototype and mass production is a huge leap, and that is where many innovations die in our environment. Our focus is not just on innovation but on commercialisation, because innovation is only meaningful when it reaches the end user,” he stated.
He noted that the theme of the event reflects Nigeria’s urgent need to build industries powered by technology and innovation.
Halilu stressed that nations dominating the global economy are not necessarily those endowed with abundant natural resources but those that consistently innovate, commercialise research and build technology-driven industries.
While acknowledging the wealth of innovations emerging from Nigerian universities, he lamented that many remain confined to laboratories, academic journals and conference papers instead of becoming products available in the marketplace.
“We have a lot of innovations on the shelves in our universities. Many have been converted into journal papers, but they never become products that ordinary Nigerians can use. We must ensure that these beautiful innovations become products available to everyone,” he said.
In his remarks, the General Manager, Engineering and Habitat Projects, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited, John Alamu, said the competition was created to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry by giving young innovators a platform to develop solutions to real-world challenges.
According to him, the company partnered the Olympiad because it aligns with its commitment to strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and preparing young Nigerians for careers in engineering and technology.
“Nigeria does not have a shortage of talent. What we sometimes lack is structured opportunity, the kind that takes a brilliant idea in a student’s head and gives it a fighting chance in the real world. That is precisely what this Olympiad was designed to accomplish,” he said.
Addressing the participants, Alamu urged students not to view the competition as an endpoint but as the beginning of their innovation journey.
“To every student and team that submitted an entry, your participation matters more than you may realise. Engineering progress is built on ideas that may not succeed the first time but come back stronger.
