By Desire Uzochukwu
A National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member serving at Ibeku High School, Umuahia, Abia State, Kenneth Nweke, has developed a digital fire emergency-response application, digitised key operations of the school and established an Information and Communication Technology, ICT, club that is producing student developers.
Nweke, a Computer Science graduate of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU, unveiled the innovations at the school, alongside 12 whiteboards he provided to replace concrete blackboards and reduce students’ exposure to chalk dust.
He said the initiatives were driven by challenges he encountered after resuming at the school in January 2026, including the health concerns associated with chalk dust and the school’s largely paper-based administrative processes.
As part of the digital transformation, Nweke developed a website for the school after consulting with teachers and members of the ICT department to identify areas where technology could improve operations.
According to him, the platform allows students to check and print their results using their admission numbers, while prospective students can make admission enquiries online.
The website also provides information on the school timetable, opening and visiting hours, official contact details and a results portal that automatically computes scores, averages and rankings.
Nweke said the platform was, however, awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Education before official school data could be deployed.
Beyond the school’s digital operations, he established the MorningStar ICT Club to expose students to artificial intelligence, automation, web development, software development and mobile application development.
One of the major innovations unveiled by Nweke was FireHawks, a digital emergency-response application developed from his experience as President of the NYSC Fire Disaster Awareness, Prevention and Sensitisation Community Development Service, CDS, group.
He said his experience with the group exposed him to the difficulties people often face when trying to report fire incidents and provide responders with accurate locations.
Nweke explained that the FireHawks panic button captures a user’s GPS location and transmits the coordinates to a fire service control room, while its water-hydrant mapping feature is designed to help identify nearby water sources during emergencies.
The application also contains a fire-safety audit tool and an artificial intelligence-assisted suppression guide designed to help users identify different classes of fire and determine appropriate responses.
Nweke said the application was developed with an “offline-first” architecture, enabling emergency reports to be stored when there is no network connection and transmitted automatically once connectivity is restored.
A representative of the Federal Fire Service Training School, Abia State, DF Henry Ndidiamaka Anele, described FireHawks as “an incredible app”, particularly praising its one-tap GPS feature.
Anele said firefighters sometimes lose valuable time locating incident addresses, adding that the application’s integration with Google Maps could help responders navigate directly to emergency locations.
He also commended the application’s user-friendly interface, emergency hotline and fire-suppression guide, but noted that further development and scaling would be required before widespread deployment.
Meanwhile, students of the MorningStar ICT Club demonstrated the Abia Green civic-technology platform developed under Nweke’s supervision.
One of the student developers, Precious Daniel, said the platform was designed around three interfaces for citizens, drivers and government administrators, with the aim of improving public transport information, environmental reporting and citizen participation.
During the demonstration, students including Destiny Agu showed how users could view active electric-bus routes and track buses through live GPS mapping.
Nweke said the project emerged from the students’ concern that commuters lacked reliable information about when the state’s electric buses would arrive at designated stops.
He said the project, which began as a STEM workshop, later attracted the attention of the Commissioner for Science and Technology and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, Raymond Chima Okwa.
According to him, the officials subsequently invited the students for further discussions, while the project has now reached its final phase and is expected to be presented to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Nweke said there was a possibility that the platform could eventually be integrated into the state’s citizen engagement system.
He also disclosed that some of the resources used to provide the 12 classroom whiteboards were secured through the school’s alumni network, including two alumni based in the United Kingdom.
The NYSC Coordinator in Abia State, Yunusa Tanimu, commended Nweke’s initiatives as a practical demonstration of the Community Development Service component of the NYSC scheme.
Tanimu urged corps members to identify challenges in their host communities and work with residents and stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions, stressing that community development should not be left entirely to government.
“The question is, what will I be remembered for? Kenneth has played his part. He has written his name and engraved it in the sand of time,” Tanimu said.
He also urged students to take their education seriously, noting that the future of Abia State and Nigeria depended largely on the quality of education provided to young people.
The Principal of the Senior Secondary section of the school, Elder Obioma Udemba, described Nweke’s contribution as “immeasurable”, particularly his work in digital education and student mentorship.
Udemba said Nweke had taken students to competitions in Port Harcourt and Abuja, adding that three students recently returned from Abuja and one had received an opportunity to represent Nigeria in the United Kingdom.
He said the school was already taking steps to sustain the ICT initiatives after Nweke completes his service, noting that teachers and students had been exposed to the necessary skills and an ICT teacher was also expected to be posted to the school.
Udemba said the school’s computer laboratory, internet facilities and trained personnel would provide the foundation for continuing the digital programmes.
He commended the NYSC scheme for providing young Nigerians with opportunities to contribute meaningfully to communities outside their home states.
