… Clinches ₦10m prize

… Vice-Chancellor hails team’s victory over 11 varsities

The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has emerged victorious at the 2026 Young Ocean Scholars (YOS) University Research Competition, securing the top position in a national contest organised by the National Hydrographic Agency (NHA) to commemorate the 2026 World Hydrography Day.

The university’s delegation, comprising a lecturer and two students from the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, outperformed entries from 11 other Nigerian universities selected from the country’s six geopolitical zones.

The competition, which took place at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos State, focused on the global theme, “Transforming How Ocean Data is Shared”.

The winning team from FUTA consisted of Dr Ifechukwu Nzelibe, a lecturer, and two students, Adepoju Jethro and Aborisade Ayomiposi, whose research submission impressed an independent panel of experts drawn from academia, industry, and the National Hydrographic Agency.

In a notification to the university, Lieutenant Commander UK Erege of the Nigerian Navy, who wrote on behalf of the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hydrographic Agency, confirmed FUTA’s triumph.

The letter stated that following a rigorous assessment process, FUTA’s submission was adjudged the best entry in the university category of the competition. FUTO and Bayero University Kano Claim Second and Third Positions

According to him, “Following a rigorous assessment process conducted by an independent panel of experts drawn from academia, the industry and the NHA, FUTA’s submission was adjudged the best entry in the university category of the competition.

“On behalf of the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hydrographic Agency, I warmly congratulate your institution, the supervising lecturer and the research students on this remarkable achievement.”

The competition, which featured 12 universities shortlisted from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, saw the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), and Bayero University, Kano, securing second and third positions, respectively.

The judges declared FUTA’s entry the most outstanding among all submissions, cementing the institution’s reputation in hydrographic research and ocean sciences.

With the achievement, the FUTA team was rewarded with a cash prize of N10 million and two laptop computers.

The National Hydrographic Agency also encouraged the team to publish their research findings and extended an invitation for future collaboration with FUTA to foster training in hydrography and related fields.

Reacting to the victory, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, who commended the winning team for bringing honour to the university, described the feat as a monumental achievement that has written the name of the institution in gold.

“I congratulate Dr Ifechukwu U. Nzelibe, a lecturer, and two students, Adepoju, Jethro I., and Aborisade, Ayomiposi E., on this major achievement. They have written the name of our university in gold. They are worthy ambassadors of FUTA,” the Vice-Chancellor stated.

The YOS Hydrography Competition was established to promote awareness and understanding of hydrography, ocean science, marine geospatial information, and the Blue Economy among young scholars.

The initiative also seeks to encourage innovative thinking on contemporary ocean-related challenges while fostering a new generation of researchers dedicated to advancing marine geospatial knowledge in Nigeria.