Edward Oseghe
Two students of Igbinedion University, Okada, have qualified for the regional stage of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) with their innovative project titled “SMART-FLARE: An AI-Enabled Gas Capture and Monetization System.”
In a letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, PhD, FAS, the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad Management Team announced that Esther Anene and Aigbe-Edebor Gaius, both Petroleum Engineering students, advanced following a highly competitive national review process. Their innovation deploys artificial intelligence to capture and monetize flared gas, addressing a significant environmental and economic challenge in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The Igbinedion University, Okada team will compete against four other top regional teams at the next stage of the competition, scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from April 19 to 21, 2026. Top-performing teams will subsequently advance to the Olympiad’s bootcamp stage.
To support prototype development ahead of the competition, the NEO has awarded the team a grant of ₦3,000,000, which also covers logistics, accommodation, and feeding during the regional event.
The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad was established to identify, nurture, and promote high-impact engineering innovations from undergraduate and postgraduate students across tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
 with their innovative project titled “SMART-FLARE: An AI-Enabled Gas Capture and Monetization System.”){kind=link}