The University of Benin (UNIBEN), Edo State, has emerged as the overall winner of the National Automotive Design and Development Council’s (NADDC) inaugural 8‑Seater Electric
Vehicle Campus Shuttle Bus Design Competition, earning the grand prize of ₦5 million X (formerly Twitter)+14The Eagle Online+14Vanguard News+14.The highly competitive final was held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) placed first runner‑up and University of Abuja came in second runner‑up LinkedIn+5The Eagle Online+5iWitness News+5. The competition, launched on March 6, featured 12 federal universities from across Nigeria The Nation Newspaper+5LinkedIn+5Vanguard News+5.
UNIBEN’s Winning Edge
Represented by Mr. Emmanuel Ikegwuonu of the Mechanical Engineering Department, the UNIBEN team showcased a design that used 50% locally sourced materials and embraced the principles of people, profit, and planet The Economic Times+12iWitness News+12The Nation Newspaper+12.
Lead supervisor Prof. Osarobo Ighodaro highlighted how technical precision was translated into accessible learning experiences for the student designers The Nation Newspaper+4iWitness News+4Vanguard News+4.
Prof. Ibrahim Rufai of Bayero University Kano, who served on the judging panel, praised the selection criteria for upholding industrial relevance and product viability The Nation Newspaper+4iWitness News+4The Eagle Online+4.
Team & Awards
The UNIBEN delegation comprised a diverse team of 10 students, 5 lecturers, 2 industry experts, and technical staff who collaboratively drove the winning design effort tiktok.com+15iWitness News+15Vanguard News+15.
Cash prizes awarded:
- ₦5M: UNIBEN (Overall Winner)
- ₦4M: FUTO (First Runner‑Up)
- ₦3M: University of Abuja (Second Runner‑Up)
- ₦2M each: Remaining participating universities Vanguard NewsThe Eagle Online+4iWitness News+4The Nation Newspaper+4
Vision for Local Innovation & Industrial Growth
DG of NADDC, Mr. Oluwemimo Osanipin, emphasized the initiative’s strategic goal to advance local content in vehicle design and scale Nigerian automotive competence. He announced that all 12 schools would receive funding and spoke on collaboration across academia, industry, and government to build the production phase of the EV shuttle iWitness NewsThe Nation Newspaper.
He remarked: “They have built possibilities, showing Nigerians we can achieve cleaner mobility through indigenous engineering” Facebook+9iWitness News+9The Eagle Online+9.
Sen. John Enoh, Minister of State for Industry, represented by Mr. Odunsanya Adedamola, reiterated that the initiative aligns with the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP), which prioritize innovation, skills, and local content The Nation NewspaperiWitness News.
What Lies Ahead
The competition now enters its prototype production phase, where the aim is to build a fully functional campus shuttle bus using at least 60% locally sourced materials. NADDC plans to form a unified national team—comprising members from all participating universities—to execute this next stage Facebook+12The Nation Newspaper+12The Nation Newspaper+12.
Why This Matters to UNIBEN
- A flagship national victory pushing forward UNIBEN’s reputation in engineering innovation
- A model of sustainable, locally driven design excellence
- A launchpad for deeper public-private partnerships in Nigerian tech and mobility industries
UNIBEN: Leading Nigeria Toward Clean Mobility & Technological Sovereignty
UNIBEN’s success in the NADDC EV competition showcases not just a design, but a vision—one where homegrown ingenuity and cross-sector collaboration drive Nigeria forward. This is a powerful testament to the university’s potential to build, innovate, and lead the country toward sustainable technological leadership.
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