Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMECHE) has urged for more investment in science and technological education in the country.
State Chairman of the NIMECHE, Engr. Promise Jumbo, said this is necessary to fast track development in the country.
He stated this at the maiden edition of the Mechanical Engineering Students Competition at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rivers State University (RSU) in Port Harcourt.
The competition was organised by NIMECHE in conjunction with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rivers State University.
Jumbo, who attributed the backwardness of the country to poor investment in Science and technological education, said time has come for Governments to invest massively in the development of the sector.
He said the competition was organized to enable the students showcase their talent and encourage the spirit of excellence among them.
Jumbo described Mechanical Engineering as a vast field of engineering discipline and urged the students to put in their best to enable them excel.
He also urged the students not to allow any distractions, adding that it beholves on them to ensure that they put in their best by taking their studies seriously.
Noting that the participants were selected based on their CGPA, he said, “the programm is a maiden competition for final year students of Mechanical Engineering, Rivers State University.
“It is worthy to note that, the students were selected based on their CGPAS but, they have over 70 of them and these ones were selected based on their CGPAS.
“So, we are going to administer a questionnaire to them and to get the best three out of them, and prizes will be awarded accordingly”, he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Engr. Goodluck Ikenyiri, commended the Institution for the programme, adding that it will instill the spirit of competition among students of not only Engineering Department, but of all departments in the University.
He commended the State Chairman of NIMECHE for what he called the excellent idea, and urged other societies to emulate it.
Ikenyiri also called for more students to be involved in subsequent editions, urging students to keep themselves abreast of event to enable them participate in subsequent editions of the competitions.
“We are starting it here and with Mechanical Department in RSU. If you miss it here, we will go to the next school”, he stated, describing it as a surprise package for students.
“It is a surprise package. You may not have known that there is an award to it, but you will soon know, even if it’s a token. But, for a student, it’s tangible.

“So, we want to encourage you. This first one, you are the luckiest because you’ll simple questions, and we will take the best three.

“Secondly, you will be subjected to discussions: the first phase is what the department has done.

“The second is what we want to do, which are simple questions. The timing was supposed to be 30 mins, but we will reduce it to 15mins, 3o questions in 15mins.

“You would have been 10 and out of it we selected 5, but now you are 5 and we will narrow it down. We need 3 to get the awards. So, you are a lucky group, but we must do it diligently and we will mark it right here, then finish up the whole thing today”, he explained.

Ikenyiri used the occasion to encourage the students, saying the programme is their own and not for the organizers.

“The prizes will be given to you on a plater of gold. Therefore, you have to be serious as everything necessary will be done right”, he advised.

He thanked the Head of Engineering Department of the University for encouraging the students to participate in the competition.

Ikenyiri charged the students to always comport themselves well anytime they are called upon, whether in Mechanical or Engineering programmes, adding that they should “dress well because that is the first criteria”.

Highlights of the event was the presentation of cash prizes to winners of the competitions.

Promise Kelvin Iray, who emerged the overall winner, went home with a cash prize of #70,000, while Moi Jessse got #50,000 and Obele Elera Benson cashed home #30,000, after emerging first and second runners-up respectively.

Meanwhile all participants got #10,000 consolation prizes and certificates.

Speaking after his emergence, the winner of the competition, Promise Kelvin Irayi, a final year student of Mechanical Engineering, said the competition was not a popular one and that he searched for it online but didn’t see any link.

He said, the HoD required them to be present and he decided to try, and, “to the glory of God, I emerged as the winner of the competition”.

He encouraged his fellow students to put in their best to enable them win in subsequent editions.

John Bibor & Eunice Ubelejit