Frank Okon

University of Port Harcourt and University of Benin have emerged winners of the South-South regional stage of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), securing spots in the national boot camp phase of the competition.

Ad >>>

The contest which held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa saw the University of Port Harcourt represented by Team PROTRONICS, while the University of Benin competed through Team VHORDE.

The competition is a nationwide engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship program launched in 2025 by Enactus Nigeria in partnership with NCDMB, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

The two winning teams outperformed contestants from Igbinedion University, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, and University of Uyo after presenting hardware and software innovations designed to tackle real-world challenges in Nigeria and across Africa.

Team PROTRONICS showcased KEYTRIC, a smart power control and intelligent locking system designed to automate electricity usage in homes.

According to the students, the innovation addresses challenges such as high electricity bills, fire risks arising from electrical appliances, and the high cost of existing smart home systems.

The team explained that KEYTRIC functions as a smart energy door lock that automatically switches off electricity supply whenever a user locks the door to leave the house, thereby reducing power consumption and improving safety.

Team VHORDE of the University of Benin presented IRIS — Intelligent Real-time Interface for Sight — a wearable assistive technology developed for visually impaired persons.

The team said the solution was inspired by the estimated 4.5 million visually impaired Nigerians who struggle with mobility and independent living.

The IRIS system comprises wearable smart glasses fitted with cameras, depth sensors, microphones and haptic feedback devices, alongside an AI-powered compute unit worn around the waist.

According to the students, the technology enables visually impaired users to identify objects, recognize faces, detect hazards and interact with their environment in real time through edge artificial intelligence capabilities that can function offline.

The group disclosed that the projected production-scale price for the IRIS Standard package is N699,000.

One of the judges, Engr. Dokubo Obongo, Manager of Institutional Strengthening at NCDMB, described the presentations as “top-notch,” noting that the innovations demonstrated strong commercial and social relevance.

“There are solutions that are viable — marketwise — relevant to our society and the challenges we face,” he said.

Obongo explained that the Engineering Olympiad was designed to encourage research-driven, home-grown innovations from Nigerian universities capable of solving local problems and creating business opportunities.

Speaking on behalf of Enactus Nigeria, Country Director Michael Ajayi said the top finalists from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones would proceed to a boot camp ahead of the national championship.

He disclosed that the top three teams at the national level would share a N100 million prize pool, while each of the 30 participating teams in the regional stage would receive N3 million support grants.