Twelve final-year engineering students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, have designed, constructed, and donated a 5 KVA Solar Photovoltaic Power System to the university’s College of Engineering.
The team, under the supervision of Professor B.A. Adaramola conceptualised and executed the project to ensure backup power for essential operations in the College of Engineering, built on 2.5 hectares of land and commissioned by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at an impressive ceremony on Saturday, October 19, 2013.
The outstanding students behind the successful project are Wodi Joseph Chiburoma, Ekechukwu Ikechukwu Anthony, and Ndubuisi Chidera Henry from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Uviejitobor Afure Daniel from the Computer Engineering Department, Igbalaye Abdulqudus, and Suobere Solomon from the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Others are Stephen George Elakemefa, Princewill Jeremiah, and Peter Umezinwa Izuchukwu from the Mechatronics Engineering Department, Oriola Demilade Mobolaji and Nkumah Amarachi Ezinne from Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, as well as Oramah Chidubem Pascal from the Biomedical Engineering Department
Using locally sourced materials and their technical ingenuity, the students embarked on this altruistic gesture to supplement the power supply by the university’s Independent Power Plant, IPP.
The 5KVA Solar System provides reliable backup power to the A and E Wings of the College, housing the Departments of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.
The second phase (7.5 kVA) of the Nodal Power Solution, which will power the C, D, and F Wings of the College of Engineering, i.e., Civil, Chemical and Petroleum, Electrical/Electronics, and Computer Engineering departments, is underway.
According to the Provost, College of Engineering, Professor Moses Olufemi Onibonoje, the students’ efforts and innovation highlight the vibrancy of Research Clusters in the college, which include energy systems, food security, smart systems, waste management, and smart materials.
His words: “This 5KVA Solar Photo-Voltaic System formed part of the final project for a group of graduating students. It is capable of efficiently powering the A and E Wings of the College of Engineering”.
He added: “These clusters form the backbone of our Engineering research strategy by nurturing student-led solutions that respond to Nigeria’s most pressing developmental needs. As we train the next generation of engineers, we remain committed to actualising the dream of the founder and chancellor of the university for building a citadel of innovation that is modelled after global best practices and standards like other globally recognised universities.”
Reacting to the innovative idea, the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, commended the students and their teachers for what she acknowledged as their “milestone achievement, cheering news for the university and a source of immense pride for the institution’s Founder, Aare Afe Babalola OFR, CON, SAN.”
According to her, “developments of this nature bring joy and happiness to our founder. I will take this good news to him, and I can imagine the smile on his face when he sees what our talented students have achieved during an intense training of amazing teamwork: the 3 T’s.
When the news was broken to Babalola, the elated Founder commended the efforts of the College of Engineering and prayed for the students and their teachers saying, “You shall excel in all your endeavours. You shall have greater luck than I have.”
The stellar qualities inherent in ABUAD College of Engineering came to the fore as far back as June 2015 when the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) visited the university to assess the facilities in the college.
After touring all the floors in the numerous wings of the rather expansive College, during which they saw the quantum of the modern, sophisticated and state-of-the-art equipment and teaching facilities from the US, Spain, England and Germany as well as the quality personnel of international repute manning the University’s Engineering programme, the NSE returned a verdict, to wit: that ABUAD’s Engineering programme is “a Template for Engineering Education in Nigeria”.
Since then, students at the college have been carting home national and international awards and laurels.
In July 2015, four students at the university, dubbed Team LifeWatch, featured and excelled in that year’s edition of the Microsoft Imagine Cup finals which took place in Seattle, United States of America, on account of their inventing AtshmaVisor, a device for a more effective and efficient way of managing Asthma, particularly among children.
In September 2015, the vice chancellor, Professor Michael O. Ajisafe, joined seven other Academics from across the globe to win that year’s Golden European Award for Quality and Business Prestige in the Education sphere in Nigeria at an elaborate ceremony in Rome.
In April 2016, an Alumnus of the University, Engr. Olamide Popoola led “Team Nigeria” to win the 2016 edition of the Unilever Idea Trophy in Category Number 1 Award for “Authentically on Brand, Relevant to target Audience and Drives Talkability and Shareability (A.R.T)” in the United Kingdom.
Later in June 2016, Oluwaseye Bolaji Oguntuase, a 500 Level Mechanical Engineering student won the 1st National Engineering Students’ Competition in Abuja with his project, titled “Autonomous Pipeline leakage in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria” beat 36 other contestants from the country’s six geo-political zones in a competition organized by the Committee of Deans of Engineering and Technology of Nigerian Universities (CODET).
Oghenetejiri Odjighoro, a 2015 First Class graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, was in November 2016 employed as an Assistant Engineer by the Lagos-based Huawei Technologies Limited, a leading multinational Networking and Telecommunications Equipment and Services company, on account of her ability to speak Chinese, a compulsory subject for every ABUAD student.
Other outstanding Achievements of the College include the following:
•Winner, Best Final year students’ project South-West 1 Zone CODET competition (2024 & 2025)
• Eight Engineering Lecturers are among the Nigerians listed in the World Top 2% Best Scientists for 2024 & 2025
•1st Runner-up, 2024 Best Final year students’ project (Single category) National CODET competition.
•A staff of the College was awarded 1st Runner-up position in the category of Best AI Researcher in Higher Education (Universities Category) in Nigeria by the National Association of AI Practitioners (NAAIP) in conjunction with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and TETFund on the 2025 AI Awareness Day
•The College played host to the International Conference of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in November 2024 with about 470 published papers in IEEE Xplore
•Faculty and students regularly publish in high-impact journals, contributing to ABUAD’s consistent inclusion in top 500 Researchers in Nigeria.
•Ongoing research collaborations with Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hangzhou, China NITDA, and foreign universities.
Olofintila is ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Affairs.
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