Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Delta State, has again proven its rising status in Nigeria’s higher education landscape after two of its students clinched first place at a national engineering quiz competition.

The contest, themed “Applying Engineering Solutions to Tanker Explosion and Fire Outbreak”, was organized by the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers) and held on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the MOM Civic Centre, Warri.

Competing against the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), the Polytechnic’s team—represented by Mr. Siemur Ohwavweoriete of Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Mr. Oyibocha Goodluck of Mechanical Engineering—clinched the top spot with 47 points out of 50, leaving PTI and FUPRE in second and third place respectively.

Their presentation, which proposed advanced fire-resistant tanker materials, real-time leakage detection, and emergency response technologies, was hailed by judges as practical and groundbreaking.

Receiving the winners in his office on Monday, September 22, 2025, the Rector, Prof. Duke Okoro, expressed delight at their performance, noting that it was proof of the Polytechnic’s strong academic foundation despite being a relatively young institution.

“Honestly, I am short of words,” Prof. Okoro said with pride. “One would have thought we still needed many years to catch up with older institutions, but today, we are proving that age is not a barrier when the foundations are solid. With the quality of our lecturers, instructors, and technologists, this is the type of result you get. When your curriculum is enriched with industry-driven, practice-oriented content, excellence becomes inevitable.”

He described the students as “trailblazers who embody the core values of Federal Polytechnic Orogun—meritocracy, innovation, and excellence.”

“Our products are already making us proud and projecting the image of this young institution in the best possible light,” the Rector added. “Their records show they are Distinction students, and we must continue to encourage them.”

In recognition of their outstanding performance, the Rector, on behalf of the Governing Council and Management, announced automatic scholarships covering tuition fees for the students to complete their National Diploma (ND) programme. He also personally awarded them ₦50,000 each, in addition to the ₦100,000 prize from the competition organizers.

“This is how we reward performance at Federal Polytechnic Orogun,” Prof. Okoro declared. “Excellence will never go unnoticed here. We want to raise a generation of innovators who will provide solutions to Nigeria’s toughest challenges.”

Responding on behalf of the team, Mr. Ohwavweoriete, who also serves as Course Representative for Electrical/Electronic Engineering, expressed gratitude to the school and management.

“We are grateful to the school for selecting us to represent the Polytechnic, and we thank God for helping us to win the competition. We are particularly motivated by the Rector upholding the motto of the school, ‘Innovate and be great’, which continues to inspire us to pursue academic excellence,” he said.

The Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers also commended the Orogun team for the quality of their solutions, which addressed Nigeria’s recurrent tanker fire tragedies with practical, innovative safety measures.

The victory not only brought prestige to Federal Polytechnic Orogun but also positioned its students as emerging innovators and problem-solvers in the drive for safer engineering practices across the country.