The University of Ilorin has cancelled the Guinness World Record on Hackaton innovation on Renewable energy expected to host 5,000 students across Kwara due to COVID-19 epidemic.
The event was slated for March 21, with the tag, “INNOVATE KWARA” as its theme.
Prof. Joshua Olaoye, the Director, Unilorin Renewable Energy Centre (UREC), disclosed this in a letter addressed to stakeholders and made available to Unilorin 89.3FM
“Gather 5,000 students in a single venue, however, negates the current Federal Government of Nigeria campaign against public gathering of more than 50 people”, the Director disclosed.
Prof. Olaoye said that the cancellation is in response to the outbreak and containment strategies of ravaging COVID-19.
“Five new cases of COVID-19 was announced just in one day in Nigeria recently.
“Information gathered from our foreign partners and their Government agencies, Guinness World Record (GWR), Hackathon TechChallenge and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had clearly indicated that gathering of 50 or more people should be cancelled for eight weeks”.
According to him, the Kwara State Government had declared that schools in the state be shut down to prevent spread of Coronavirus.
“Against these aforementioned issues, UREC, therefore, wishes to announce the indefinite postponement of our programme, World Record project and Hackathon TechChallenge, tagged: Kwara-UNILORIN Innovation Hackathon”.
The statement further stated, “We regret any inconveniences this postponement would have caused”.
