By Maryam Rabiu
Bayero University Kano (BUK) has emerged victorious in the 2024 Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation Leadership Challenge, marking an important achievement in the institution’s history.
This was announced during the 2024 Enactus National Competition, held on July 23 in Lagos, where BUK’s team competed against over 20 other universities from across Nigeria.
The winning project, a portable inverter system, was developed by a dedicated group of five BUK students under the guidance of Professor Shamsudddeen Umar and Dr. Zainab Nuhu.
The innovative inverter, which utilises lithium batteries connected in series and parallel, generates up to 1,000 watts of electricity—sufficient to power essential appliances such as light bulbs, fans, and small electronic appliances.
The BUK team, comprising of Ahmad Abdullahi, Rafiat Olajide, Nimatullah Hassan, Idris Haruna, and Aminat Adebisi, presented their project at the Civic Centre in Lagos. Their invention was hailed by the panel of judges as the best project of the competition, showcasing ingenuity and practical application.
Yusuf Musa, the team leader and a 400-Level student from the Faculty of Law, expressed his enthusiasm and gratitude saying: “the team believed in diligence, team work and resilience. The triumph is a testament to these values which have defined the team for many years.
“Our team consists of students from diverse academic and social backgrounds working together to achieve a common goal, which prepares us for real-world challenges after graduation.
“This is only made possible, however, due to the exceptional support we get from the University leadership. We look forward to creating more meaningful projects that would leave a lasting impact socially, economically and environmentally and also showcasing the kind of talents that our prestigious university breeds.”
Since the inception of the challenge in 2016, the Foundation, in collaboration with Enactus Nigeria, invites submissions from various Enactus teams in the country.
Additionally, the top 10 projects were shortlisted after a rigorous review process, receiving seed grants to implement their ideas.
The projects were then presented at the Enactus National Competition, where BUK’s project stood out among those of other competitors.
