By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
A Benue-born scholar, Monday Onoja, has emerged overall winner at the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) 2025 Doctoral Consortium, held during the society’s 19th National Conference in Kano State.
Onoja, a doctoral researcher at the Department of Applied Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, and lecturer at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, impressed the judges with his groundbreaking thesis titled “Explainable Malware Detection through Ontology Integration.”
His research, which explores how semantic technologies can enhance human understanding of complex malware detection systems, earned him the coveted first-place position at the prestigious national event.
Gift Adene, a PhD candidate at the Department of Computer Science, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, and lecturer at Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, clinched second place with his study on “Alzheimer’s Neurological Disease Prediction Model Using Hybridized Machine Learning Techniques.”
The NCS 2025 Doctoral Consortium, themed “Intelligent, Secure and Sustainable Innovations for a Connected World (#ConNovate2025),” spotlighted Nigeria’s brightest ICT researchers.
It was hosted by the NCS National President, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu, and chaired by Prof. Saidat Adebukola Onashoga.
Dr. Aliyu commended the winners for their outstanding contributions to ICT research and innovation in Nigeria, describing their work as “a testament to the nation’s growing capacity in digital technology.”
The event, sponsored by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Delta, Agbor, Prof. Stella C. Chiemeke, and convened by Dr. Vivian Nwaocha, featured top five finalists including Evaristus Nwoke (University of Port Harcourt), Oghenevbbaire Efevberha-Ogodo (University of Benin), and Abubakar Aliyu (Umaru Musa Yaradua University, Katsina).
According to the organisers, the consortium continues to serve as a strategic platform for nurturing indigenous innovation, fostering collaboration, and mentoring early-career researchers driving Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“The 2025 edition not only celebrated individual brilliance but also reinforced the importance of collaborative innovation in building a secure and intelligent digital society,” Dr. Nwaocha stated.
