After competing with 11 other teams from other tertiary institutions around the country at the Nigeria challenge finals held yesterday in Lagos, four software incubators from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ilefe, (OAU) and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (Lautech )Ogbomoso, Oyo respectively will fly Nigerian flag this summer in St Petersburg, Russia this summer at the worldwide finals.

Having won the national finals in Nigeria, Team Life Saver will join the brightest young minds to compete on the world stage in July this year.

Like Team Gravity from Obafemi Awolowo University that represented Nigeria at the Worldwide Finals in Australia last year, the 2013 competitors would gain real life experience, make new friends, and harness the power of technology to take on the world’s toughest problems.

Imagine Cup is the world’s premier technology competition designed solely for students which centers on the use of imagination, creativity and technology to help solve some of the world’s toughest problems.

However, 30 teams had submitted their entries after which 12 teams were shortlisted for the national finals held yesterday in Lagos.

Members of Team Life Saver including Afolabi Olamide, Oluwole Michael, Akinlaja Solomon and Adewale Adeyinka had competed in the category of World Citizenship.

Their solution however titled CardioLife was designed to tackle heart attack by monitoring heart reading on the fly via the Microsoft Windows Phone.

The solution also provides a rehabilitation programme for stroke patients using the kinect sensor. The team will be joining other students across the world thi July to compete in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals.

“This is a great opportunity for us. Our empowerment has just started. Our destiny lies in our hands. We are now our boss. Microsoft and and their sponsors have really empowered us with IT knowledge. We will take our solution to the next level. We not disappoint our schools and Nigeria. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to compete with students from around the globe who, like us, are passionate about making a difference in the world.”, the team’s spokesperson, Oluwole Michael said with excited.

For one thing, the competitors in the Nigerian Finals for Imagine Cup 2013 have joined student innovators from across the globe to take their innovative and ground-breaking ideas from concept to marketplace with Microsoft resources. Each of the 12 competitors was honoured for their work to address some of Nigeria’s toughest challenges:

Projects showcased
Windows on Wheels, a car navigation and personal driving assistant by Team Eagle Inc from FUTA

The Compventure, a text-based role playing game solution by Team Golympus from OAU

EasyRetailer, a solution that eases up buying process for clients, by Team Linfix from
Redeemers University

Course Trail, an electronic tutoring platform that teaches illiterate users to read and speak correctly by Team Team Mercury from OAU

Other participating teams included Team NIKAO from OAU, Team Pearl from LAUTECH and Team iAce from FUTA.

Yinka Oni, National technology Officer for Microsoft Anglophone West Africa before announcing the result told the gathering that, “Each team that competed in the regional finals is deserving of the highest recognition for the creativity and imagination applied to some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re proud to honour these young students who we believe truly exemplify the spirit of the Imagine Cup competition, and we’ll be cheering Team Life Saver on as they compete on the world stage in St Petersburg.

“Imagine Cup is also directly aligned with the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative that was launched earlier this year as it drives access to technology, innovation and world-class skills. We believe deeply that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world, and we are honoured to engage with these young people to help bring their innovative ideas to fruition.”

Also speaking, Developer & Platform Evangelism Lead / Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, Shina Oyetosho while commending the competitors for their innovative solutions said that this is just the beginning of work for the wining team.

“Your team will need more work so as to challenge other peers at the worldwide finals. Iam going to engage you. You will do more work on your solution. We really have to work hard to bring the cup to Nigeria. All of you are winners” he said.

It would be recalled that more than 1.65 million students across the globe have participated in Imagine Cup during the past decade, creating applications and games that address the world’s toughest social problems.

The 2013 competition builds on the core elements that have been most popular with students in the past 10 years – social impact and gaming while expanding the competition’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.

OAU, LAUTECH! This is blockade starvation and genocide.
It isn't base on merit!

Tolexander: OAU, LAUTECH! This is blockade starvation and genocide.
It isn't base on merit!

You must be drunk

Really nice.

Kennyinusa:
You must be drunk

what?
What i do?

Tolexander: what?
What i do?

what did you mean by "it isn't based on merit"

#TEAMOAU

Thumbs up guys make nigeria proud wish u best of luck

Kennyinusa:
what did you mean by "it isn't based on merit"

is it base on merit. Yorubas are known to cheat.
Don't be surprised, that is the word am expecting from our brothers from the other side.
Am also a great ife students!