Follow Us on Google
…Pledges Annual Event to Grow Niger Delta Innovation
Despite heavy rain that thinned attendance on Friday, 17 July 2026, more than 300 students, teachers, parents and guests gathered at Okrika Grammar School for the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Innovate (NDI) Robotics and STEM Fair.
Held under the theme “Innovation and Creativity: The Foundation of a Better Future,” the fair was designed as a showcase for NDI’s year-round work closing the digital skills gap across the Niger Delta through its NERDC-aligned Digital Technology curriculum, Technovation Clubs, and in-house learning platform, Loop.
The hall was split into two demanding contests. In the robotics arena, teams from schools with active Technovation Clubs presented functional prototypes built to solve real-world problems. Projects included an autonomous line-following car for warehouse logistics, an automatic floor-sweeping robot, a house security system, an automatic reading lamp, and a Bluetooth-controlled remote car.
A three-person panel — Dr. Levi Damingo, Mr. Daniel Kalio and Dr. Kizzy Elliot — judged on presentation, innovation, societal relevance, design and team spirit. In one notable moment, judges corrected students for using “I” instead of “we” during presentations, stressing that engineering is collaborative work.
Okrika Grammar School’s second team (OGS2) won the robotics competition with 71.7 percent. Okrika National Secondary School placed second with 68 percent, and The Kings College took third with 61.7 percent. CSS Okochiri, OGS1 and CSS Ogbogbo followed.
The STEM Quiz, conducted live on Loop, tested 14 students — two from each of seven schools — across mathematics, science, technology and engineering. Each question was timed at 25 seconds, with results collated in real time. The Kings College dominated with 97.7 percent, Okrika Grammar School came second with 76.5 percent, and CSS Okochiri third with 71.2 percent.
Other News
Across both contests, about 39 students competed. Cash prizes of N200,000, N150,000 and N100,000 were awarded to the top three schools in each category. Captains from winning schools, including Okrika Grammar School and The Kings College, received their cheques on stage.
Before the awards, junior students from Okrika Grammar School exhibited an AI chatbot built in Scratch. Team lead Godselect Ndop Christian said the goal was “to create an interactive character that can understand user input, simulate human conversation, and mimic basic memories.”
Speakers stressed that the event was a beginning, not a finale. NDI Executive Director Mr. Kelvin Sampson Fubara said the organization deliberately called it the “maiden” edition “because there will be a second, and a third, and a fourth, and each time it’s going to be way larger.” Rt. Rev’d Dr. Enoch Atuboyedia, NDI Board Chairman, and Deputy Director Dr. Tamuno-omie Gogo echoed the commitment to make the fair annual.
Keynote speaker Dr. Levi Damingo urged students to “ask bold questions, experiment fearlessly, and collaborate.” Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, former NDDC MD/CEO, warned: “If we don’t encourage the future, then our tomorrow is done as well.”
Awards were also presented to guests including representatives of the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, NBTE, the Nigerian Army, Navy, Police, and Mr. Isaac Audu-Usman of Antigravity Group.
With the first robots built and the first quiz scores logged in Okrika, NDI says the goal now is to take the fair further across the Niger Delta each year. It’s worthy to note that Robotics and AI laboratory built by Niger Delta Innovate at Okrika Grammar School is the first of it’s kind in Rivers State.
