The Vice-Chancellor of Elizade University, Professor Kayode Ijadunola, has praised the brilliance and scholarly performance of the Engineering Research team of the University who top the medals list in the just concluded Nigerian Academy of Engineering Inaugural National Engineering Competition, 2024.
The team led by Associate Professor, Dr Olugbenga Ogidan of the Systems Automation and Embedded Control (SAEC) Research Group at the Faculty of Engineering, Elizade University emerged first position, out of 108 contestants nationwide.
The Vice-Chancellor was particularly happy at the creativity and innovations being churned out by Engineers and Scientists from Elizade University targeted at meeting societal needs with global impact.
Professor Ijadunola said Elizade University will not rest on its oars, but will consistently chart new course of development in the academia that will continue to positively impact human existence and the global spectrum.
The Elizade University team developed a “Solar-based Smart Irrigation System” also known as “IrrigSmart” in response to the challenges of irregular rainfall pattern being experienced by African farmers due to climate change.
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), no fewer than 33 million farmers who produce 70% of the food consumed in Africa are badly affected by climate change resulting in poor yield and poverty.
The Inventor and Team Lead, Dr. Olugbenga Ogidan, an Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Elizade University, said the IrrigSmart solution is a disruptive technology that brings feedback and intelligence into existing irrigation systems through the use of Sensors and Mobile Applications, thus enabling farmers to save water and improve crop yield considerably.
According to Ogidan, the technology will enable farmers to monitor their farm’s environmental conditions (soil moisture, temperature, humidity) and control irrigation process from remote locations using their mobile phones over the Internet.
At the grand finale, Elizade University team clinched the 2024 First Place Award which comes with a plaque and a cash award as well as Certificate of Merit for making one of the best ten submissions.
The second prize went to Mr Chimezie Obinna of INTRUD Technology, who developed a home-based Intruder Detection System to curb insecurity, while the third prize was won by Professor Babson Babajide and his team from University of Cross River State that developed BMV-6 Ventilator with a capacity to support six (6) persons in one fell swoop.
According to the Academy Technical Secretary, Engr. Adebayo Adeola, (FAEng) the cash award is expected to be used by the awardees as a seed-fund to enable them scale up their innovations to the next level and possible commercialization of their products.
He said the cash awards if judiciously utilized, will attract additional funding, explaining that awardees would from time to time be required to provide feedback to the Academy about the commercialization progress and to share their success stories.
15 July, 2024.