The Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Polytechnic, Ibadan has emerged as the third best winner in the 2018 edition of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers -NIMechE Innovation Challenge(NIC )2.0 Project Competition, beating their counterparts from universities and polytechnics in Nigeria and Ghana.
Oluwasegun Victor Olanrewaju, Babatunde Benjamin Moyo, Folorunsho Waliyat Adeola and Aladenusi Michael Oluwaseun represented the department at the competition.
The competition was organised by NIMechE, Lagos State chapter, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineers, Ghana, and Engineering Against Poverty (EAP), involving students of Engineering from universities and polytechnics from across Nigeria and Ghana.
A total of 60 students competed in the first stage of the engineering competition from Monday, 2 to Friday 6, April, 2018 at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos where the Polytechnic Ibadan team came fourth, and third best at the final stage, which came up between Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25, August 2018 at the University of Lagos, Akoka.
Chairman NIMechE, Ibadan chapter and head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mr Akeem Ghazali, made these known in his address during the courtesy visit of the national leadership of NIMechE and official presentation of N200,000 award cheque to the winning team at the institution last week Thursday.
He noted that in order to nurture the leadership potential and professional career development in student-engineers, NMechE was providing various platforms for students of Mechanical Engineering in all institutions in the country to interact, share ideas and compete for knowledge broadening.
The deputy rector of the polytechnic, Mr Bayo Oyeleke, who received the national chairman of NIMechE, Dr Robinson and his entourage on behalf of the governing council and the rector of the institution, Professor Babatunde Fawole, commended the national leadership of NIMechE for the visit and for the success of NIC, 2.0, 2018, requesting for more robust organisational collaborations from other groups in the engineering world.
He also saluted the courage and prowess of the representatives of the Polytechnic in the competitions for emerging the third best internationally, and charged NIMechE to remain focused in training future engineers.
Dr Ejilah in his remark, noted that the NIMechE Innovation Challenge 2.0 was a product of deliberate professional efforts by members to bridge the gap between mechanical training and practices and expand the scope beyond Nigeria.
He thanked the rector for his enormous support for the mechanical engineering programmes and students in the institution and for creating a conducive atmosphere, which in turn resulted in the achievement of the feat by the awardees.
Responding on behalf the other awardees, the team leader and president NIMechE students’ forum, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oluwasegun Victor Olanrewaju, said participating in the competition was an experience of a life time.
He thanked the NIMechE national leadership for the visit and award, the management of the institution and department for the exposure.
