By Lami Bawa
History was made at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, as the institution’s MATLAB Space hosted its maiden competition and awards ceremony on Saturday, 9th August 2025 at the NITDA Hall, FUT, Minna Main Campus.The programme celebrated creativity, showcased impactful projects, and reinforced FUTMINNA’s leadership in MATLAB innovation in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Director, Information Technology Services (ITS), Dr. Bala Alhaji Salihu, commended the students’ ingenuity and announced a ₦20,000 cash prize for the top three teams. He noted that FUTMINNA is leading in MATLAB usage in Nigeria and expressed optimism about extending this influence across Africa.
Deputy Director, ITS, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq Ahmad, traced the community’s journey to the Campus Wide MATLAB License obtained through ACEMFS, FUT, Minna and the NUC, highlighting FUTMINNA’s top ranking among 15 Nigerian universities with the license. He pledged to support other institutions in building similar communities.
The competition followed a 10 week training programme culminating in project presentations addressing real world challenges. Winning projects included:
1st Place: Team Smartrigs , Global CO₂ Modelling and Forecasting
2nd Place: Team JARVIS , Voice Controlled Automated Robot Simulation for Campus Navigation
3rd Place: Team Smartwatt, Smart Microgrid Design for FUTMINNA
Other highlights included a webinar on Parallel Computing with MATLAB by Dr. Mohammad Abuzayyad of MathWorks Inc., and remarks from the Team Lead, John Fredrick, and Technical Lead, Obed Honour Eje, who praised the dedication of members and encouraged wider student participation.
The ceremony drew schools, industry partners, and students, emphasizing FUT, Minna MATLAB Space’s role in driving innovation, digital skills, and collaboration in Nigeria’s academic landscape.
Photo Credit Abdulrauf Mustapha
