UNILORIN Emerges Overall Winner at 2026 CODET Engineering Students’ Project Competition
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The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has emerged as the overall champion of the 2026 North Central Zone Committee of Deans of Engineering and Technology (CODET) Engineering Students' Project (ESP) Competition, following an outstanding performance that earned the institution first place in both the Single and Group categories.
The competition, held on Monday, June 15, 2026, at the Faculty of Engineering Board Room, NLNG Building, University of Ilorin, brought together engineering students from institutions across the North Central Zone to showcase innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Participants presented projects spanning renewable energy, agricultural technology, manufacturing systems, educational support platforms, and artificial intelligence-driven innovations, highlighting the growing impact of engineering in solving contemporary societal problems.
In the Single Category, UNILORIN secured first place with "Design and Implementation of AgroSense AI: An End-to-End Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem for Low-Cost Precision Agriculture." The project was coordinated by Dr. S. O. Zakariyya.
The University also emerged victorious in the Group Category with its project, "NOOSI," likewise coordinated by Dr. S. O. Zakariyya, completing a remarkable double victory and earning the institution the overall championship.
Other institutions showcased notable projects, including "Integrated Biological Pathways for Biohydrogen Production: Evaluating Dark–Photo Fermentation and Dark Fermentation–Microbial Electrolysis Cell Systems," coordinated by Dr. Abdullahi Mohammed, as well as innovations in cassava processing technology and metallographic sample preparation supervised by Engr. Alake and Engr. Oluwakemi.
In the Group Category, another participating institution presented "InnoWorks: Engineering Support System for SIWES, Internships and Academic Resources," coordinated by Engr. Akerodulu Adekunle.
UNILORIN had also prepared additional projects on Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology and Smart Parking System using Arduino Uno, further demonstrating the University's commitment to engineering innovation.
In his opening remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Joshua Olanrewaju Olaoye, commended all participating teams for their creativity, dedication, and innovative spirit. He noted that every participant was a winner by virtue of the knowledge, experience, and exposure gained throughout the competition.
Prof. Olaoye encouraged students to embrace the judges' observations and constructive feedback as opportunities for continuous improvement, urging them to refine their projects and sustain the development of their innovations beyond the competition.
He further emphasized that excellence in future competitions requires consistent preparation and commitment rather than last-minute efforts. The Dean also appreciated the University of Ilorin for successfully hosting and sponsoring the 2026 edition of the competition and expressed optimism that other institutions within the North Central Zone would host future editions to strengthen collaboration and innovation among engineering students.
Speaking with the UNILORIN Bulletin, one of the judges and Chief Executive Officer of Extreme Mechanics and Engineering Outfit, Prof. Bola Bolarin, praised the high standard of projects presented during the competition.
He observed that an increasing number of engineering student projects are now intentionally designed to address practical societal and industrial challenges, describing the trend as highly commendable and worthy of sustained encouragement in future editions.
UNILORIN's impressive performance at the competition further reinforces its reputation as a leading institution in engineering education, research, innovation, and the development of practical solutions to contemporary challenges.
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