Winners emerge in Nigeria Imagine Cup

Amid stiff competition, Team X, last weekend emerged winners of the Nigeria Microsoft Imagine Cup, which held at the Information and Communication Centre, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

According to Mr. Ade Famoti of Microsoft Nigeria Limited, Team X whose members are Ezeokoye Celestine (leader), Bello John and Akinnawo Opeyemi, all of computer science department, UNILAG, will represent Nigeria at the Microsoft World competition in Egypt this July.

Mr. Famoti during the award presentation said that Team X won based on the multi-channel approach the group used in packaging their soft ware as well as the mode of presentation saying that “a good product with a bad marketer cannot sell”.

He stressed that the use of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Short Messaging Service (SMS) by the group, targets the different classes of the Nigerian population and as such, will help in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations especially as it affects the third world countries like Nigeria.

He also urged the contestants to teach others their innovative ideas so that the knowledge will spread and have a positive impact on others.
Meanwhile, Team Ekah who won the most innovative solution award, emerged second runner up in the competition as a result of poor presentation of data while Team Indwell emerged the first runner up.

Explaining what is Imagine Cup, the Public Relations Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka noted that basic education is out of reach for too many people but this year, the Imagine Cup challenges the world’s most talented to “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today”.

“The United Nations has identified some of the hardest challenges in the world today in its Millennium Goals. IT students across Nigeria have seized the opportunity created by the Imagine cup as a guiding light to propose innovations that have the potential to drive change all over the world”, she said.

Mr. Clement Onawole of Softcraft Technology, congratulated all the students and urged them to be more focused on their efforts and to shun all forms of distraction and not to limit themselves as well as to see beyond their today’s potentials.

The seven participants from different universities across the nation were given 25 minutes for presentation of concept and demonstration by each team and after the judges’ deliberations, certificate of presentation was given to all the participants.

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