No fewer than 150 Secondary school students from 11 schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have developed innovations to solve real life problems.
The students at the Afrelib Academy Tech and Career Expo in Abuja on Wednesday appealed to the Federal Government to support the translation of their innovations into real life work situations.
Rahamah Musa, a student of Great Heights Academy, Kado, who invented a farm intruder alert system with her team, said the technology would help detect and alert property owners in case of any intrusion in the farm.
Musa said that the report on the killings of farmers necessitated the group to develop the technology, while saying that government supports would help address the situation so that farmers would work without fear.
”This innovation is to target and secure the farms because it has been reported by the global tourism index that over 3,000 farmers has been killed in Nigeria for the past 10 years.
”Report also shows that the frequency increase with an average 300 farmers killed each year since 2016.
”The farm intruder alert system is a security system designed to detect and alert property owners in case of any intrusion that takes place in the farm.
”We have a model of it. It works with an alarm system that goes off immediately it senses any intrusion in the farm and a camera that takes the picture of the farm intruder.
”It send an SMS to the owner of the farm and it also has a panic button which the owner of the farm presses,” she said.
Also, Akamba Isoni, a team lead from Premiere Academy, Lugbe while presenting an autonomous quadcopter parcel delivery drone, said the innovation would address the problems of transport delivery in remote areas.
”The drone has a mind of its own to be able to deliver percels on its own. It make community to be efficient. We feel that the delivery sector was facing major problems in terms of delivery goods and services in remote areas.
”So we felt we can come up with ways to help them. We plead with government to encourage schools through provisions of equipment so we can work better for the general advancement of the country,” he said.
Similarly, Praise Olusanya from Olumawu College, Wuse who invented fire fighting drone with her team, said the drone would help fight fire incidence with minimum casualties.
According to her, the drone is efficient as it is made up of recycled materials. We decided to use the materials so as to also eliminate waste production.
”These are good innovations from various schools. We will like the government to come in by investing in our ideas and refine it so as to help fire fighters in our environment.
”The fire fighting equipment are not sufficient to deal with fire incidences and most times fire fighters arrived late in the situation of emergencies, so this innovation will help in real life,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director, Operations and Programmes, Afrelib Academy, Joy Gomina noted that the world is changing with the realities of future of works, hence students and learners must be equipped to navigate tye dynamics of the future.
Gomina, who said that the students had gone through rigorous mentorship for over eight weeks, had come up with the various innovations that if taking up from them could solve societal problems.
”A lot is changing about the future of work and it is important we equip the students for the future challenge and how to empower the students and learners to the able to survive and thrive in the future of work.
”Skills are what employers look out for, they are looking for people that can solve problems and maximise technologies beyond the normal theoretical work, so we can equip them to be independent in the nearest future .
”What we need to do as stakeholders is to help them release that passion in them to solve problems,” she said .
Also, Mr Joseph Ajuwon, Co-founder of Afrelib Academy called on Nigerians to encourage the students so that their innovations would grow to becoming global corporations.
On his part, Mr Daniel Alamu, a basic science teacher from Olumawu College, appealed to relevant authorities for teaching aid materials and resources to bring the contents in the curriculum into practical realities.
Alamu also challenged private sectors to always support innovators by bringing them to the forefront in such a way that their works would be recognised.
”The programme is motivational and helps to develop potential in the kids. The Afrelib have done a lot to bring out talents in kids.
”I want to advice stakeholders to support private individuals. We do have misplaced of priorities as we pay more attention to musicians while putting those who are technically inclined at the background as they are not organised.
”Government and private entities must come together in order to encourage technology to solve contemporary problems,” he said.
After the challenge, Great Heights Academy Lugbe came top in the competition, while the Senior secondary and Junior secondary session of Olamawu college came second and third respectively..
The first position went home with one million naira cash price while second and third position went with N500,000 and N300,000 respectively.(NAN)
