By The Evangelist News Desk
Public secondary school students across South-West Nigeria have demonstrated remarkable technological ingenuity by developing digital applications designed to tackle societal challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, internet fraud, examination malpractice and other security concerns.
The students showcased their innovations at the 2026 Byte Busters Coding Club Showcase held on Friday at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, where young innovators demonstrated how digital knowledge could be transformed into practical solutions to real-life problems.
One of the outstanding innovations was the Safe Guardian App, developed by students of Aramoko District Commercial Secondary School, which emerged overall winner of the competition.
The application provides users with a quick and accessible means of seeking assistance during emergencies, including kidnapping, banditry and other security threats. It also allows users to share their live locations with trusted contacts to facilitate timely intervention.
Presenting the innovation, the team leader, Johnny Pius, explained that the application was designed as a personal safety companion to help individuals communicate with trusted contacts and obtain assistance whenever they encounter dangerous situations.
According to him, the innovation would provide a safer and more convenient means of requesting emergency assistance while helping to address growing security challenges.
Other innovative projects presented at the showcase included an artificial intelligence-powered computer-based testing platform, Tomato AI for agricultural development, an emergency response system, a sign language application and an AI-powered marketplace designed to support local traders.
The students also developed technological solutions for reducing post-harvest losses in maize production, alongside a Yoruba-English translation application.
The innovations highlighted the growing capacity of young Nigerians to deploy technology in addressing challenges across security, agriculture, education, commerce, communication and social development.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Advisory Council of Odu’a Investment Foundation, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, commended the students for their creativity, describing their achievements as evidence of what young people could accomplish when provided with access, training and opportunities.
She stressed that children should not merely become consumers of technologies developed elsewhere but should be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to become creators and innovators.
“Our young people are growing up in a world in which artificial intelligence, digital platforms and new technologies will shape how they learn, work, communicate and create,” she said.
She expressed satisfaction with the expansion of the Byte Busters initiative and the increasing sophistication of the projects developed by participating students.
Awolowo Dosumu also highlighted the foundation’s Digital Literacy Training for Teachers programme, explaining that sustainable transformation in education required equipping teachers with practical digital skills to multiply the impact of the initiative across schools.
She called on the six South-West owner states, corporate organisations, philanthropists, old students’ associations and other development partners to strengthen their support for the programme to enable more pupils, particularly those in underserved communities, to benefit.
The Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Dr Tola Kasali, represented by a director of the company, described the initiative as a strategic investment in human capital development and the future economic prosperity of the South-West.
He maintained that digital education had become indispensable in preparing young people for the demands of an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
Kasali also advocated stronger collaboration among governments, educational institutions, the private sector, technology companies and community organisations to bridge the digital skills gap.
In his address, the Project Director of the Digital Education for Innovation and Economic Development (DEFINED) Project, Professor Seun Kolade, disclosed that the Byte Busters programme had expanded from approximately 100 pupils in nine centres when it commenced last year to 20 centres across the six South-West states, covering 18 local government areas.
He revealed that more than 4,500 learners had benefited from the initiative, while over 220 students were expected to participate in the 2026 showcase.
Kolade said the programme had demonstrated that public school pupils could become technology creators when given the necessary exposure, training and opportunities.
He noted that the students were moving beyond simply learning how technology works to independently applying digital skills in solving practical societal problems.
The DEFINED Project Director further disclosed that 72 teachers from the six South-West states participated in the first cohort of the teacher training programme, with 67 successfully completing the exercise.
He said the initiative adopted a train-the-trainer approach, with an ambitious target of training 3,000 teachers by the end of the year.
Kolade appealed to governments, corporate organisations, philanthropists, diaspora communities and old students’ associations to support the programme through the provision of computers, internet connectivity, learning facilities, equipment and sustainable funding.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Professor Ayoade Ogunkunle, called for increased investment in digital education at the primary and secondary school levels.
He drew attention to the educational legacy of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, observing that while the former Premier of Western Nigeria championed free education, his daughter, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, was promoting access to digital education through the foundation’s initiative.
He urged stakeholders to sustain and build upon the educational vision of past leaders while encouraging the students to maximise the opportunities available to them.
Similarly, Mr Kunle Shodein advised the students to remain abreast of global technological developments, noting that the initiative demonstrated the South-West’s readiness to embrace the future.
“The world is moving on. This initiative shows that the South-West is moving in the right direction,” he said.
The Byte Busters Coding Club Showcase is organised under the DEFINED Project of the Odu’a Investment Foundation, with the overarching objective of expanding digital literacy, encouraging innovation and preparing young people to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s technological advancement and economic development.
The expansion of the programme to 20 centres represents a significant step towards democratising digital education and ensuring that opportunities to acquire technology skills are not restricted by geographical location or economic background.
