NCDMB Engineering Olympiad: Uniben, Uniport emerge regional winners

Two teams from the University of Port Harcourt and the University of Benin have won the South-South regional finals of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad, earning places at a national boot camp.

UNIPORT’s Team PROTRONICS and UNIBEN’s Team VHORDE emerged victorious at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, defeating rivals from Igbinedion University, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), and the University of Uyo.

The Olympiad, launched in 2025 by non-profit Enactus Nigeria in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Renaissance Africa Energy Company, First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), challenges students to develop hardware and software prototypes that solve real-world problems in Nigeria and Africa.

Team PROTRONICS showcased “KEYTRIC,” a smart energy door lock that automatically cuts electricity supply when a user locks the door to leave home.

The team said the device reduces electricity bills, lowers fire risk from electrical faults, and offers an affordable alternative to costly smart home systems that require wiring changes or internet connectivity.

Team VHORDE presented “IRIS” (Intelligent Real-time Interface for Sight), a wearable system designed for Nigeria’s 4.5 million visually impaired persons.

The device comprises smart glasses with a camera, depth sensor, and edge AI processor, plus a waist‑worn compute unit running object detection, face recognition, and voice processing offline.

A haptic wristband provides obstacle alerts. The team quoted a one‑time production‑scale price of N699,000 for the standard version.

NCDMB’s Manager of Institutional Strengthening, Engr. Dokubo Obongo, who served as a judge, described all presentations as “top‑notch.”

He added: “There are solutions that are viable, marketwise, relevant to our society and the challenges we face.”

He said the Olympiad aims “to develop home‑grown solutions from research and development in Nigerian universities.”

Enactus Nigeria Country Director, Mr. Michael Ajayi, announced that the two top finalists from each of the six geopolitical zones will proceed to a boot camp to prepare for the national championship.

The three best teams will share N100 million, and each of the 30 teams that exhibited prototypes at the regional level will receive N3 million.

Team PROTRONICS was led by Faculty Adviser Dr. Victor Jinn, with contestants Chukwuma Sunday‑Odu, Fubara David Otokini, and Ekemini Godwin Akpan.

Team VHORDE comprised Anoint Oritsetimeyin Igorki, Oghosa Derick Osarobo, Uti Henry Eworitsewarami, Jada O. Godfrey‑Ariavie, Richard O. Enegbuna, Momodu O. Olayemi, and Asemota G. Ayevbosa.