Again, Nigerian students soar at world robotics competition

Nigerian teenagers, who raised the country’s flag at the 2018 First Global Robotic Olympiad (GRO) in Mexico, won two bronze medals at the competition involving 187 countries.

The Nigerian team won the medals in the Outstanding Support and International Journey categories.

There were 20 categories of awards at the event which ended on Sunday.

The competition began on August 13.

The challenge was on Energy Impact. Competitors were to solve problems related to energy with the use of robotics.

Remi Willoughby, national coordinator of the GRO, told NAN on telephone from Mexico that there were 193 teams from 187 countries at the competition.

Willoughby described Nigeria’s victory as an attestation that the Nigeria child was making progress in science technology engineering and mathematics.

The five teenagers, aged from 15 years to 17 years, are from secondary schools in Lagos.

They are four females and a male.

They are Anjolaoluwa Olowokere from Lagoon School; Iroaganachi Udodirim, Queens College; Samuel Mbah, Osezele Comprehensive Senior Secondary School; Tochukwu Anyigbo, Lagoon School; and Daberechi Onyeacholem, Greensprings School Lekki.

At a press conference in Lagos to announce the competition, Faisal Jarmakani, managing director, Aramex and Doculand Nigeria, sponsors of the team, had said that the teenagers were building the foundation blocks for a technology-advanced Nigeria.

“Without any doubts, we will soon join other countries of the world where science and technology have become the backbone of economic development,” he said.

In July, three Nigerian students won gold for proper documentation of processes on engineering note at the 2018 World Adolescent Robotic Competition in China.

The students – Tawakalitu Giwa, Oluwaseun Omotayo and Ayomide Adetunji – also won the “Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli’ Award for Courageous Achievement at the event organised by the China Association of Science and Technology.

The challenge was on Water Problem.