FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s next generation of engineers as the maiden Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) concluded with Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa State, emerging as the overall winner.
In a statement by the firm, the university’s Team Mavericks won the grand prize of N50 million and a Centre of Excellence building for its Faculty of Engineering at the finale held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, recently.
According to the firm, the team’s winning innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, is a community-powered rapid alert system designed to use affordable devices to notify nearby households and emergency responders during emergencies, providing a solution aimed at improving community security and emergency response.
“The competition, which attracted 984 participants across 375 teams from more than 80 tertiary institutions nationwide, featured students from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones who developed engineering solutions to address real-world challenges. The finalists underwent months of regional qualifiers, prototype development, mentorship and boot camp sessions focused on engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship,” the firm stated.
Speaking at the event, the general manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, FIRST E&P, John Alamu, said the company supported the initiative as part of its commitment to strengthening STEM capacity and preparing young Nigerians for future engineering challenges.
Alamu said the Olympiad provided students with a platform to move beyond theoretical knowledge and develop practical solutions that could contribute to Nigeria’s technological and industrial growth.
“FIRST E&P believes that developing STEM capacity is an investment in this country’s ability to solve its own problems. The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad has taken young engineers and taught them to think beyond the drawing board,” he said.
He commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for championing the initiative and Enactus Nigeria for delivering a platform aimed at nurturing young innovators.
The executive secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Silas Ajimijaye, appreciated FIRST E&P for its support in making the competition successful.
