Team Mavericks from Modibbo Adama University, Yola, on Wednesday emerged the overall winners at the grand finale of the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad held over two days in Lagos.

The team won the contest with their innovation, “Sarafa Community Security Alert,” a community-driven rapid alert system that enables households to instantly notify neighbours and emergency responders during security incidents through low-cost communication devices.

The team’s victory earned it a N50 million cash prize, while the Faculty of Engineering of Modibbo Adama University will benefit from the construction of a Centre of Excellence building to be sponsored by the NCDMB.

The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad is the initiative of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), reinforcing its commitment to building indigenous engineering capacity and nurturing a new generation of innovators, rewarding outstanding engineering solutions developed by Nigerian students with cash prizes, institutional investments and opportunities designed to transform promising ideas into commercially viable enterprises.

The NCDMB organizes the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad in technical partnership with ENACTUS Nigeria with funding support from Renaissance Africa Energy Company (RAEC) Limited and First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (First E&P) Limited.

The contest was conceived to identify and promote practical engineering innovations developed by students across Nigerian tertiary institutions to address pressing national challenges through technology, entrepreneurship and locally driven solutions.

Emerging as first runners-up was Team Aurora from the University of Ibadan with its “Aurora Birth Health Tech Suite,” an innovation designed to reduce neonatal mortality resulting from birth asphyxia in low-resource healthcare environments. In recognition of their achievement, the team received a N30 million cash prize as well as engineering equipment valued at N75 million.

Team Fortizo of the University of Jos secured third position with “FarmAnchor,” a solar-powered, artificial intelligence-enabled device developed to assist smallholder farmers in identifying crop pests, diseases and soil nutrient deficiencies. The team received N20 million alongside engineering equipment worth N50 million.

The fourth position went to Team Flameless of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, whose innovation, “Flameless,” is a containerised plug-and-play energy solution that captures flare gas from marginal field operators to generate between 100 and 500 watts of reliable and affordable electricity for nearby communities. The team was rewarded with a cash prize of N10 million.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Omomehin Ajimijaye, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to initiatives aimed at human capital development, entrepreneurship, innovation and youth empowerment.

Congratulating the participating teams and acknowledging the contributions of the Board’s partners, Ajimijaye described the competition as much more than a concluding event.

“This is far more than a grand finale,” he said. “It is a celebration of talent, innovation and the immense potential of Nigerian youths to solve real-world challenges through science and engineering.”

He explained that the NCDMB, as the statutory agency charged with driving Nigerian Content development, remains committed to creating opportunities that strengthen local capacity, encourage entrepreneurship and inspire innovations capable of making meaningful contributions to national development.

“Our mandate is clear,” he stated. “It is to build human and institutional capacity that enables Nigerians to compete successfully not only within the oil and gas industry but across the wider economy. For us, youth development is not an afterthought; it is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.”

According to him, the Board’s commitment to youth development and innovation is already reflected in several ongoing programmes. He disclosed that another panel of judges was simultaneously evaluating entries submitted for the NCDMB Technology Innovation Challenge at the Board’s headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

He further announced that the Board had recently launched the Young Researchers Programme aimed at fostering research and innovation among Nigerian youths, with no fewer than 500 undergraduate students already enrolled.

“These are deliberate investments aimed at developing researchers, entrepreneurs and future industry leaders. Together with our stakeholders, we are building a strong pipeline of engineers who will develop indigenous solutions, deepen Nigerian Content, strengthen our industries and enhance Nigeria’s global competitiveness in science, engineering and technology,” he said.

Providing insight into the evolution of the initiative, the Country Director of ENACTUS Nigeria, Mr. Michael Ajayi, revealed that preparations for the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad began more than two years ago.

“Today may appear to be the finish line, but it is actually the beginning of a much bigger journey that will ultimately ensure every engineering student in Nigeria develops ideas capable of transforming the nation,” he said.

Ajayi disclosed that the competition attracted 375 applications submitted by 984 students drawn from 80 tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics and research institutions spread across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

According to him, the selection process involved an extensive and rigorous evaluation exercise conducted by 202 judges and evaluators, supported by 177 professionals who collectively devoted over 852 man-hours to assessing the innovations through six regional competitions.

Following the initial assessment, the top 30 innovations were selected, with each geopolitical zone producing five qualifying teams. Each of the 30 teams subsequently received a development grant of N3 million, amounting to a total investment of N90 million, to support the development of prototypes over an eight-week period.

The competition then progressed through regional contests before producing the final 12 teams that advanced to the grand finale. Recognising that engineering innovation requires not only technical competence but also commercial viability, organisers introduced a two-week intensive business development and management boot camp aimed at equipping participants with the skills necessary to transform their innovations into commercially sustainable ventures.

Ajayi commended the NCDMB, Renaissance Africa Energy Company and First E&P for supporting the initiative, stressing that sustainable national transformation can only be achieved through effective collaboration among government institutions, the private sector and development organisations.

Representing First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited, the company’s General Manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, Engr. John Alani, said the company was proud to support an initiative capable of unlocking Nigeria’s vast engineering potential.

“Nigeria is not suffering from shortage of talents but rather from a shortage of structured opportunities,” he said.

According to him, the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad provides precisely the type of platform required to convert brilliant ideas into practical solutions capable of addressing national challenges.

Referring to a 2023 industry survey showing that only five per cent of engineering graduates in Nigeria are industry-ready at graduation, Alani described the statistic as alarming and argued that the Olympiad represents a practical intervention aimed at bridging the gap between academic training and industry requirements.

He commended the NCDMB for demonstrating visionary leadership in engineering capacity development, noting that the Board’s investment would contribute significantly to building the skilled workforce required to sustain Nigeria’s industrial development over the long term.

Also speaking, the Vice President, Relationships and Sustainable Development at Renaissance Africa Energy Company, Mr. Igo Weli, described the initiative as consistent with the company’s commitment to supporting innovation and human capital development.

According to him, Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not the absence of talent but the lack of an enabling environment that allows innovation to flourish. He further pledged to engage fellow sponsors on the possibility of increasing the N3 million development grant awarded to participating teams.

Representing the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the immediate past President of the Society, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, FNSE, praised the NCDMB and its partners for transforming an ambitious idea into what she described as a national movement for engineering innovation.

She characterised the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad as one of the country’s most significant platforms for engineering innovation and entrepreneurship, explaining that its overarching objective is to identify exceptional engineering talents, build their capacities, encourage entrepreneurship and transform innovative ideas into scalable solutions capable of driving national development.

She further commended the participating students for demonstrating that Nigeria possesses abundant innovative capacity and is not deficient in ideas capable of solving critical national problems.

Beyond the eventual winners, the competition showcased several other innovative solutions developed by Nigerian students. Among the top 12 finalists were Team Protonics of the University of Port Harcourt, whose “Keytric” innovation is a Wi-Fi-enabled smart door lock system capable of automatically controlling household appliances to minimise energy waste and reduce fire risks.

Also among the finalists was Team Vhorde of the University of Benin, which developed artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses designed to improve mobility for visually impaired individuals. Team Oil Alchemist from Imo State University presented the Waste Oil Reactor, a portable pyrolysis technology capable of converting waste engine oil into liquefied petroleum gas, petrol, kerosene and diesel.

Team Health Guardian of the University of Lagos developed the Health Guardian AM Detector for the early detection of preterm premature rupture of membranes among pregnant women. Team Tri-Catalyst of the University of Abuja developed a locally produced hierarchical zeolite catalyst designed to improve gasoline quality, while Team Goodnews of the Nigerian Army University, Biu, introduced “PipePetrol,” an artificial intelligence-powered pipeline surveillance solution.

Other finalists included Team Adustech of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Kano, which developed an AI-enabled solar agricultural dryer, and Team Agritherm Solutions of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, whose innovation is a solar-powered cold storage system designed to reduce post-harvest losses among smallholder farmers.

The event attracted senior officials of the NCDMB and other stakeholders from government, academia, industry and professional organisations. Among those in attendance were the General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, Mr. Olarenwaju Olawuyi, who formally declared the event open; the General Manager, Social Performance and Investment, Mr. Emmanuel Anyim; the General Manager, Capacity Building and Supplier Development, Mr. Kenechukwu Akubue; the Head of Capacity Assurance, Mr. Olabanji Abisiga; and the Head of Nigerian Content, Engr. Morinsola Aweda.

For the NCDMB, the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad embodies the Board’s longstanding philosophy that sustainable Nigerian Content development begins with deliberate investments in human capital, technical competence, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Olympiad represents one of the Board’s flagship interventions designed to identify, encourage and reward exceptional engineering talent while exposing participants to industry leaders, mentors, investors and prospective employers. It also aligns closely with Nigeria’s broader aspirations for industrial self-reliance, technological advancement and economic diversification driven by indigenous innovation.

The partnership with ENACTUS Nigeria further reflects the Board’s collaborative approach to sustainable development. Globally recognised for empowering students to deploy entrepreneurial action in addressing societal challenges, ENACTUS has provided a platform through which a new generation of Nigerian innovators and business leaders can emerge, reinforcing the conviction that the country’s industrial future will ultimately depend on its ability to develop and harness homegrown talent.