A group of secondary school students from Borno State has introduced a locally built humanoid robot intended to support teaching for children, particularly those living in remote and conflict-affected communities in the northeast and across Nigeria.
The prototype, called “Max Zulum” in honour of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, was presented on Tuesday during the graduation ceremony of the “Empowering Ideas, Empowering Communities” Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp and Data Analytics Fellowship.
The event, held in Maiduguri, marked the end of a six-month capacity-building programme sponsored by Maxzeeton Technology with support from the Borno State Information and Communication Technology Development Agency.
Students selected from six schools across the state were trained in coding, robotics, artificial intelligence and data analytics before working together to develop the instructional robot.
The Managing Director of Maxzeeton Technology said the robot was created to assist learners through difficult tasks, particularly in mathematics.
“After just six months of intensive training, our students have turned theory into a functional prototype that can support pupils both at home and in the classroom,” he said.
“The humanoid robots stand as a symbol of local technological advancement, self-reliance, and the growing potential of homegrown solutions in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
“As part of this landmark initiative, Maxzeeton Technology also officially onboarded 100 youths into the Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics Fellowship Programme today.
“The programme is designed to equip university graduates and young people with globally relevant digital skills and prepare them for opportunities in the rapidly evolving technology-driven economy,” he added.
Engr Kabir Wanori, Executive Secretary of BICTDA, said the state’s digital transformation agenda focuses on nurturing talent capable of creating economic opportunities and addressing practical societal problems.
“Max Zulum is the first of what we hope will be many locally-crafted solutions, not just for education but for agriculture, health and industry.”
Wanori added that BICTDA would offer additional training to the students and expose them to international platforms so their innovations could receive broader recognition.
One of the developers, Al-Mustapha Kabir Matazu, said the “Max Zulum” robot is about 1.2 metres tall, with a display screen embedded in its chest and a speaker-microphone system that enables two-way voice communication.
He explained that the robot runs on a custom artificial intelligence engine capable of understanding difficult spoken questions and replying with spoken explanations.
“It displays step-by-step visual solutions on its screen, focusing on primary-level maths and science topics and adapting pace according to the learner’s responses.
“During the demo, we asked the robot ‘How does it solve mathematical solutions?’ and it walked us through the entire process, highlighting each step on the screen,” the student developer explained.
He said the training progressed from basic coding to advanced AI development, and that progression made the robot possible.
“The robot is a practical answer to a pressing problem,” he said.
Another participant, Fatima Abdulrahman, who received the bootcamp’s innovation award, said the experience had changed her understanding of technology’s role in society.
“I now see a future where I can build tools that keep our children learning, even when classrooms are unsafe,” she added.
According to media reports, the innovation could help address the shortage of teachers, as Borno’s education sector has been weakened for years by insecurity, displacement and an insufficient number of qualified educators.
According to official education statistics from the Federal Ministry of Education Annual School Census, the average learner-to-teacher ratio in Borno State is 46 pupils to one teacher.
However, regional reports by international organisations such as UNICEF have in the past recorded far higher peaks of up to 124 pupils per teacher in remote or conflict-affected primary schools.
