Adedamola emerges winner in Budding Engineers Competition

Master Obidele Lukman Adedamola of Federal College of Animal Health & Production Technology, Ibadan, has emerged overall winner of the 2014 Budding Engineers, Scientists and Technologists (BEST) Competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education. Adedamola beat other sixteen contestants that qualified for the Grand-finale with average score of 63.3 points with his project: Utilization of Poultry Waste for Biogas Production.

Speaking at the award ceremony held on Tuesday, 11th February, 2014 in Abuja, the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief (Barr.) Ezenwo Nyesom Wike said that the hosting of the annual BEST Competition can be situated within the context of global development and national exigency, noting that for the country to remain competitive within the global market, as well as become one of the twenty largest economies in the world by 2020, there is need for mass of innovative Engineers, Scientists and technologists that will serve as ‘pistons’ in the engine of transformation of the nation’s economy.

The Minister, represented by the Director of Tertiary Education Department, Mrs. Hindatu Abdullahi, said that as part of policy direction to promote innovation and strengthen the capacity of science and technology undergraduates in carrying out innovative research projects that the National Council on Education approved the institutionalization of the National Budding Engineers, Scientists and Technologists Competition for tertiary institutions.

He noted that most of the greatest Scientists in the world history, such as Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, among others, were able to make remarkable inventions in their prime. He said that it is in recognition of the potentials of the youths in research endeavors that the Federal Government, with the support of the World Bank, successfully implemented 4-year Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B) project that ended in 2013.