Nigerian Engineering Student and Innovator Ufot Ekong Breaks 50 Year Record In Japan
Obi Brown & Chijioke Ezegbo Win 2015 Etisalat Innovation Prize
Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo have won the 2015 Etisalat Innovation Prize.
Obi Brown won five million Naira in the most innovative product or service category, and Chijioke Ezegbo winning the two million Naira cash prize attached to the most innovative idea category.
They were also rewarded with high-end mobile devices, Etisalat Mifi bundle with free data for one year as well as In-house Business Development Mentoring and product promotion using the Etisalat Online Platforms.
To clinch the 5 million Naira, Obi Brown created an application called ‘Study Lab Math’, a repository of over 1300 videos solving math problems in over 49 topics in the NERDC curriculum for senior secondary school students. The problems are solved by a team of Math teachers led by WAEC Chief Examiner.
Chijioke Ezegbo, created a Dedicated Traffic Mapping Device (DTMD, which emerged the winning idea in the most innovative idea category. It’s a GPRS enabled traffic navigation device with voice over interface which is affixed to a vehicle windshield to help users navigate their way through traffic by accessing real-time traffic data and suggesting shorter or alternate routes.
The Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher, noted that the Prize for Innovation initiative which aims at discovering and growing young Nigerians with innovative products, ideas and solutions using mobile broadband technology, reflects the company’s commitment to nurturing talents and promoting creativity that will have invaluable impacts on individuals and organisations.
In his words on the 2015 Etisalat Innovation Prize:
“As a company, innovation is at the core of our business; it is the strength on which we thrive. The world is driven by innovation and Nigeria needs innovators whose ideas and products can drive development and help people live as they should.
We at Etisalat are glad to provide a platform to mobilise the nation’s teeming crop of young and undiscovered innovators to impact all areas of the society.
Festus Dauda Chairs World Radio Communications [2015]
Engr. Festus Dauda of Nigeria has officially assumed duty as the Chairman of World Radio Communications (WRC) in Geneva, Swizerland.
Festus Dauda, becomes the first African to assume the exalted position in the 150 years of the Council. Nigeria had earlier in the week became the first African country to head the World Radio Communications (WRC) Council, an arm of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Otobong Nkanga Wins Yanghyun Foundation Artist Award [2015]
A Nigerian fine artist, Otobong Nkanga, has emerged the first African to win the Yanghyun Foundation Artist Award in Seoul, Korea.
Ms. Nkanga was selected for her outstanding creativity in media and motivational photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and video.
While selecting Ms. Nkanga’s work, the panel declared:
“In Nkanga’s work, the landscape is a sounding board for ideas, stories and memories, evoking an awareness of our connection with natural resources and its challenging histories.
Her installations are imaginative and emotive, but also earthly: they represent our relationship with the world. We are greatly impressed by the intensity, depth and variety of Nkanga’s body of work.”
Announcing the award, the foundation’s director, Eunyoung Choi, noted that Mrs. Nkanga’s trans-categorical artistic practice was defined by her ability to pervade the complex layers of human and natural traces left in material objects and landscapes.
The foundation awards its winning artist with a cash price prize, and the opportunity to hold a full solo exhibition at one of the world’s most renowned galleries or museums as chosen by the winner within three years of receiving the prize.
The Yanghyun Prize was established in 2008 as the first international art prize by a Korean institution.
Its key aim is to acknowledge and support outstanding mid-career artists by offering a global stage for exhibiting their work.
Past recipients are Cameron Jamie, an American (2008), Isa Genzken, from Germany (2009), Jewyo Rhii, a South Korean (2010), Akram Zaatari, a Lebanese (2011), Abraham Cruzvillegas, a Mexican (2012), Rivane Neuenschwander, Brasil (2013) and Apitchapong Weerasethakul, also a Lebanese (2014).
LASUTH Performs First Kidney Transplant [2015]
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), has recorded a successful kidney transplant on a 56-year-old man in Lagos. The life-saving procedure which took two and half hours was the first of its kind in the tertiary institution.
Speaking on the feat, the elated Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Wale Oke, said the successful kidney transplant was part of the state government’s promises to deliver excellent healthcare services to the people of Lagos State.
Oke revealed that prior to the surgery, several consultations were made to ensure that the patients were well selected to avoid complications after the exercise.
In his words:
“But thank God today, both the donor and recipient are in sound health.”
The Chief medical Director who assured Lagosians that the hospital would continue to bring such services in-country.
Speaking, leader of the transplant team, a Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Jacob Awobusuyi, said the initiative was conceived three years ago. Awobusuyi explained that gaining the confidence of the patients was very tough but after the operation, they were both excited.
“Before the operation, both the 56-year-old recipient and the 26-year-old donor who was the patient’s nephew expressed concern. But after the operation they were both fine.”
Bloodless Urine Malaria Test (UMT)
Scientists working in Nigeria have developed a new laser test that can detect malaria in humans within minutes with a simple urine test without drawing blood.
Current malaria testing methods requires piecing the with a needle to draw blood but the new urine malaria test (UMT), developed by Fyodor Biotechnologies, doesn’t require use of blood.
The fast, non-invasive test can detect malaria in both humans and mosquitoes. It has advantages over current techniques because it does not depend on blood sampling, reagents, facilities or trained personnel. The simplicity – it can be operated by non-medical personnel – and sensitivity of the test mean it could be a low-cost, safe and universal tool for clinical and field diagnoses.
Speaking at the launch of UMT in Abuja, Dr Victoria Enwemadu, Fyodor’s global head of projects, said “There are some challenges with adopting that [national malaria testing] guideline mainstream because of the invasiveness of trying to get blood for testing. Now we have made it easier by just using urine to test for malaria.”
Golden Eaglets Win 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets became only the second side to retain the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 2-0 win against Mali at Vina Del Mar in Chile.
Striker Victor Osimhen had his record-breaking tenth goal of the tournament in the final match, with Funsho Bamgboye adding second moments later.
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