Connect with us
Advertisement
Maduka University Advert

Foreign

2018 NNPC Science quiz champion, Tony Kabilan Okeke, 5 other students develop AI medical App in US

Published

3 years ago

on

Maduka University
Nigerian students in different parts of the world keep making impressive strides in different disciplines. Couple of weeks ago, 20 years old Tony Kabilan Okeke, who won the national champion trophy of the 2018, NNPC national science quiz competition, presently studying Biomedical Engineering in Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA, collaborated with five other international students (four Nigerians and one Indian) to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Medical Assistance App, which they named *Meddibia*.

Team leader Tony Kabilan Okeke

Okeke’s team, named, *Team Meddibia*, comprises Tony Kabilan Okeke, Dishika Goel, Elochukwu Enwerem, Dalu Okonkwo, Michael Moemeke and Victor Uzo, all of whom are international students in the US.
The team’s project, *Meddibia*, was one of the ten AI projects that won at the Philly Codefest 2023, a contest that took place, this 12th March, in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA at the event of the 10th year of the software and hardware hackathon hosted by College of Computing & Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia.
On the 12th of March close of the 2023 Philly Codefest, held at Quorum within the University City Science Center, a group of judges made their way around the room, listening intently to each group as they presented on the project they’d developed over two days. “The judges then moved to a separate room to determine a winner, which took longer than expected, given how impressive all the projects were this year,” said Dave Raiken, Assistant Director of Operations, Events and Logistics at the event hosted by Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). Codefest just celebrated its 10th year, once again welcoming students and professionals of all skill levels across the US to the weekend-long hackathon. This year’s Comcast-sponsored event saw 46 teams create technical projects aligning with the theme, “AI Everywhere” — that is, “real-world, scalable software and hardware solutions to improve and expand artificial intelligence’s positive societal impacts.”
Participants started coding on Saturday morning, 11/03/23 and had until 6 p.m. that day to submit their idea. Then, they had until noon on Sunday, 12/03/23, to complete their project before judging.
Presenting on the project, *Meddibia,* Tony Okeke on behalf of his Team members, explained as follows, starting from their inspiration for the project:
“MEDDIBIA: Your Personal Medical Assistant
*Inspiration*
The inspiration behind our latest project came from a deep desire to improve the accessibility of medical care for people living in rural areas. As developers from third-world countries ourselves, we understood all too well the struggles faced by those who lack access to proper medical facilities.
Our team wanted to create a solution that would bridge the gap between these individuals and medical professionals, so we set out to create an app that would allow users to receive medical advice and diagnoses using machine learning models.
By inputting their symptoms into the app, users can receive predictions for potential diseases and conditions, allowing them to make informed decisions about seeking medical treatment. We believe that this app has the potential to be particularly beneficial for those in rural areas who may not have easy access to medical doctors or facilities.
For us, this project was an opportunity to use our skills and expertise to make a real difference in the lives of people in our own communities and beyond. We’re excited to continue developing and improving this app and to see it make a positive impact on the world.
*What it does*
MEDDIBIA is a personal AI health assistant that puts greater control over health in the hands of users living in rural communities. With MEDDIBIA, users can describe their symptoms to a chat assistant and receive a likely diagnosis, along with more information about their diagnosis and symptoms. Additionally, MEDDIBIA enables users to get diagnosis for skin conditions and aberrations by simply taking a picture of the affected area. This feature is especially important for those with limited access to healthcare professionals or specialized facilities. By providing personalized care and making it easier to manage health conditions, MEDDIBIA empowers users to take control of their health and improve their quality of life.
*How we built it*
Our team utilized cutting-edge machine learning techniques to develop an innovative solution for identifying and diagnosing skin conditions and diseases. To accurately identify skin conditions, we experimented with various pre-trained models, including VGG16 and EfficientNet, to extract features from images from the dermnet dataset. We then trained and evaluated deep neural network classifiers, ultimately selecting a model with approximately 70% accuracy. For symptom identification, we employed GPT-3, a state-of-the-art language model, to preprocess natural language input from users into symptom labels, which served as input to our machine-learning model. This approach resulted in about 87% accuracy in predicting disease labels. To further assist users, we used GPT-3 to provide helpful descriptions of the predicted disease. Our app’s backend was built using Flask API and deployed on Heroku, while the cross-platform frontend was developed using Flutter, making our app easily accessible to users across multiple devices.
*Challenges we ran into*
The construction of MEDDIBIA was an interesting and challenging task. The first problem we encountered was locating suitable datasets for our machine learning algorithms. We needed to obtain a dataset with over 40 diseases and appropriately identify them using their symptoms for our disease classification algorithm. To maximize machine learning, we needed to obtain a dataset with rich photos for our skin disease detection model. The next problem was to discover effective machine learning techniques to use with our dataset to produce models. To acquire accurate findings, we needed to determine the machine learning technique that performed best with our dataset. Another difficulty we encountered was integrating our machine models to our mobile application. Creating a machine learning model is one thing, but we also needed to guarantee that our model was user-friendly and easily accessible via our application. Constructing MEDDIBIA was difficult, but we were able to overcome the obstacles that the journey posed in order to complete our project, MEDDIBIA.
*Accomplishments that we’re proud of*
We are proud of the knowledge we gained from this experience. Building MEDDIBIA was challenging and the process allowed us gain useful knowledge on several technologies. In addition. We are proud of being able to create such a rich project within 24 hours. In 24 hours we were able to create a project that uses machine learning to predict diseases users might have, using their symptoms as values.
*What we learned*
We learned how to integrate flask APIs to a Flutter application while developing MEDDIBIA. Our application is built on Flask, which connects machine learning models to a Flutter application. We discovered how to leverage openAI APIs. Our application makes advantage of openAI APIs to fine-tune user input before passing it to our model. We also learned about the multinomial naive bayes machine learning method, Flutter, and Flask.
*What’s next for MEDDIBIA*
Looking to the future, we plan to patent the app and suggest its usage to nearby hospitals and clinics for potential treatments and connect patients directly with healthcare providers through MEDDIBIA. These features will personalize care, streamline the process of accessing medical assistance, and provide the latest treatment options. We are excited to continue our work in revolutionizing healthcare and improving health outcomes for our users.”
Out of the 40 entries submitted to Phily Codefest 2023 at Drexel University by Comcast, Team Meddibia emerged the winner Philly Codefest 2023 Collaborative Team Award with a price money of USD5000.
It will be recalled that Tony Kabilan Okeke came to national limelight in 2018 when, at 16, he emerged the national champion in the prestigious Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition, beating over 14000 other Nigerian science student participants. He went ahead to haul 8 As (distinctions) in 2019 WAEC Exams, beside several Distinctions in 2018 IGSCE (London GCE)  before he headed to the US where, at 16, he was admitted for accelerated B.Sc./M.Sc. program in Biomedical Engineering in the College in Philadelphia, Pennsylania, USA.
He has continually posted a brilliant performance in his academics since his enrolment in the University, having, in the past 4 years, earned himself inclusion on the *Dean’s List* of the college, a list that, metaphorically, is the exclusive club of first class brains in America universities. A letter dated January 19, 2023, to Tony Okeke from the office of Paul W. Brandt, Scd, MD, DrPH, Dean & Distinguished University Professor, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylania, reads, ” Dear Tony, Congratulations. Your academic performance has earned you a place in Drexel University Dean’s list … Only a limited number of Biomedical Engineering students are able to meet the requirements for inclusion on  the Dean’s list … making you a member of a select group of academically outstanding individuals.”
Earlier in 2021, Tony joined the exclusive club of US National Engineering Honor Society via a letter of invitation dated 22/10/21 from officers, members and advisors of Pennsylvania  Chapter of the Society. The letter read, “Your distinguished academic record allows us to extend you an invitation for membership … You have distinguished yourself
as an exceptional Engineering student and one deserving of recognition”
As an undergraduate, he has researched and co-authored several publications with America professors published in several high profile American science journals. Some of these publications can be found at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kPKT6SsAAAAJ&hl=en.
Tony is of mixed parentage, born to Emeka & Dr. Suhanyah Okeke, a Nigerian Lawyer and an Indian Surgeon.
Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign

UK: 11 Drug Couriers Convicted Over £13.8m Cannabis Smuggling Plot Through Birmingham Airport

Published

1 day ago

on

August 21, 2026

By

Maduka University

Eleven drug couriers have been convicted for their roles in a plot to smuggle cannabis worth an estimated £13.8 million into the United Kingdom through Birmingham Airport.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigated the group after Border Force officers arrested them in August 2024 and seized 460kg of cannabis concealed in 22 suitcases.

According to an NCA statement published on Wednesday, the couriers had travelled to the UK from Thailand via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on the same flights.

The convicted couriers were identified as Carsten Kyei, 21, from Newham, East London; Bradley Lloyd, 27, and Claire McCullough, 36, both from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester; Lewis Ross, 35, from Bolton, Lancashire; Nathan Vitorino, 26, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire; Ryan Boachie, 32, from Edmonton, North London; Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, from Dagenham; Tasia Nelson, 22, from Newquay, Cornwall; Jaden Ramen, 23, from Colliers Wood, South London; Paige Crisp, 24, from Broomhall, Worcester; and Jamal Clarke, 22, from Walthamstow, London.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that each courier had two suitcases, with each suitcase containing about 20kg of cannabis.

Advertisement

The suitcases were reportedly so heavy that the couriers had to pay excess baggage charges at Bangkok Airport to have them placed in the aircraft hold.

The cannabis had been vacuum-packed and concealed beneath a thin layer of clothing. Eight of the suitcases also contained Apple AirTag trackers, which NCA investigators established were connected to the same Apple ID account.

Suspicion was raised after Border Force established that four passengers had travelled from Birmingham to Charles de Gaulle Airport earlier on August 9, 2024, each carrying two large suitcases.

Border Force officers subsequently fully staffed the Nothing to Declare channel and intercepted the group.

One of the couriers had also been instructed by an associate: “my man gonna be on the other side – don’t leave the airport until you see him leave.”

Advertisement

Kyei and Vitorino were convicted on May 26, 2026, following a three-week trial, while Ross and Lloyd changed their pleas to guilty during the trial.

Crisp, Nelson and Ramen were convicted on Wednesday, August 19, following a four-week trial.

McCullough, Boachie, Olumoyegun and Clarke had previously pleaded guilty.

Those convicted on August 19 will be sentenced on October 22, while the others will be sentenced on September 3.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Paul Boniface said the operation involved extensive planning.

Advertisement

“A huge amount of planning went into this sophisticated attempt to bring hundreds of kilos of cannabis into the UK,” Boniface said.

He said the coordination of flights and luggage demonstrated “the lengths criminals will go to in order to hide their offending.”

“With thanks to Border Force, we were able confiscate these drugs and stop criminals from benefitting financially from the damage they cause,” he added.

Boniface warned people against agreeing to smuggle drugs into the UK, saying anyone who attempted to do so would face justice.

Adam Chatfield, Head of Border Force Midlands Command, said the convictions should serve as a warning to anyone considering transporting cannabis into the UK.

Advertisement

He said the young people involved now faced serious consequences, including criminal records that could affect their employment opportunities and future prospects.

Victoria Norman of the Crown Prosecution Service said prosecutors and investigators had pieced together evidence of a coordinated attempt to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the country.

She said the evidence resulted in six members of the group pleading guilty, while the others were convicted following trial.

Continue Reading

Foreign

Australia-Based Nigerian Arrested Over Alleged $5m Fraud, Denied Bail Over Flight Risk

Published

2 days ago

on

August 20, 2026

By

Maduka University

An Australia-based Nigerian, Foluso Omole, is facing trial over his alleged role in a $5m fraud involving the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Omole was arrested by operatives of the Australian Federal Police at Adelaide Airport last Friday while allegedly attempting to flee Australia.

According to the report, Omole had allegedly “cut ties” in Adelaide and was preparing to travel to Nigeria before his arrest, a court heard.

The 38-year-old appeared before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday, where his bail application was refused following allegations that he had attempted to leave Australia for Nigeria.

The court heard that Omole, a dual Australian and Nigerian citizen, had “purchased a one-way ticket to Nigeria” before his arrest.

Advertisement

A prosecutor also told the court that Omole appeared to have “sent, over the course of his offending, significant funds back to Nigeria”, where his wife resides.

The report stated that Omole was working as an NDIS coordinator and operating two businesses that employed several staff at the time of the alleged offences.

The prosecutor reportedly told the court that Omole allegedly received information “improperly” from a woman employed by the National Disability Insurance Agency over a period of six years and “used that information to obtain benefit fraudulently”.

The woman, who has also been charged in connection with the alleged fraud, was expected to appear in court on Thursday.

However, disputing the allegation that Omole intended to flee Australia, his lawyer, Mark Twiggs, told the court that his client had informed him that he planned to travel to London on a “return ticket” purchased before any raid on the woman’s home.

Advertisement

“The charges are denied. He has no record at all.

“My client has good reason why he should be given bail,” Twiggs said.

Omole is yet to enter pleas to one count of dealing with proceeds of an indictable crime worth more than $1m and one count of dealing with money or property valued at more than $1m that is allegedly the proceeds of crime.

Magistrate Patrick Hill, however, refused bail, citing concerns that Omole posed a flight risk.

“Whether it was a one-way ticket to Nigeria or a return ticket to London does make a difference as to the court’s assessment of whether or not Mr Omole is a flight risk.

Advertisement

“For the other reasons put forward by the prosecution, in any event, I remain concerned that he is a risk of flight and the bail application is refused,” Hill said.

In April, a Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, were jailed in the United Kingdom for their involvement in a similar fraud scheme.

The couple reportedly used personal data belonging to Transport for London employees to carry out a tax rebate fraud scheme that cost the public purse more than £433,000.

The fraud, which was carried out between September 2021 and January 2022, was reportedly based on sensitive information belonging to at least 40 TfL workers, including passport details, National Insurance numbers and bank records. The information was used to submit 139 fraudulent tax refund claims.

Court proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court revealed that Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in TfL’s human resources department, had access to the personal records of about 107 employees, which were later exploited for the scheme.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Foreign

Canada invites 1,000 candidates to apply for permanent residence

Published

3 days ago

on

August 19, 2026

By

Maduka University
Canada has invited 1,000 candidates through its Express Entry system to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class.
The invitation round was conducted on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the latest ministerial instructions published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The department said candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 523 to receive an invitation.
“Number of invitations issued: 1,000,” the notice stated.
It added that candidates ranked among the first 1,000 eligible foreign nationals in the group were eligible to receive invitations.
The round was conducted at 10:13:44 UTC on August 18, with a tie-breaking rule of August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC.
The tie-breaking rule means that “If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.”
The invitations were issued under the Canadian Experience Class, one of the classes managed through Canada’s Express Entry system.
The ministerial instructions, signed by Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lena Metlege Diab, in Ottawa on August 18, stated that invitations could be issued between August 18 and August 19, 2026.
“Invitations may be issued to eligible foreign nationals who rank among the first 1,000 eligible foreign nationals in the group ranking,” the instructions stated.
Express Entry is Canada’s primary online system for managing permanent residence applications from skilled workers.
It covers three federal economic immigration programs: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
Candidates create profiles that are ranked using the Comprehensive Ranking System, which awards points for factors including age, education, language ability, work experience, and other human capital attributes.
The highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply in periodic rounds.
The Canadian Experience Class is designed for skilled workers who already have Canadian work experience and wish to become permanent residents. Eligibility generally requires at least one year (1,560 hours) of skilled work experience in Canada within the past three years in occupations under National Occupational Classification TEER categories 0, 1, 2, or 3, along with minimum language proficiency (Canadian Language Benchmark 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs, and CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3).
There is no education requirement and no need to show settlement funds. Applicants must plan to live outside Quebec.
The August 18 draw followed a pattern of frequent CEC-focused rounds in 2026. A previous Canadian Experience Class draw on August 5 issued 3,000 invitations with a lower CRS cut-off of 516.
The latest round’s reduced volume and higher cut-off of 523 mark one of the more selective CEC invitations so far this year.
As of mid-August 2026, IRCC had already issued well over 113,000 invitations through Express Entry, with a substantial share going to Canadian Experience Class candidates.
Continue Reading

Foreign

US Court Sets August 21 Deadline for Release of Documents Linked to Tinubu’s Drug Case

Published

4 days ago

on

August 18, 2026

By

Maduka University

A United States federal court has set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the release of records linked to longstanding allegations concerning Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. financial accounts associated with him in the 1990s.

The records are being sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, which has reportedly been before the federal courts for more than three years.

The documents are understood to be held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The development followed a reported request by the DOJ for an additional 10 days to comply with an earlier court order requiring the release of the records.

According to Von Batten, a Washington, D.C.-based Republican lobbying firm, Tinubu also joined the DOJ’s request for the extension.

Advertisement

The firm said it obtained a copy of a recent court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf and claimed that the Nigerian president formally joined the request just two business days before it became public.

However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the request for additional time and directed that the records be released by August 21.

Von Batten said Tinubu’s reported decision to participate in the extension request raised questions about his reasons for seeking more time before the records are made public.

The firm alleged that the delay could potentially be used to lobby U.S. officials over concerns that releasing the documents might affect U.S.-Nigeria relations.

It further speculated that Tinubu could argue that disclosure of the records might affect his cooperation with Washington on counterterrorism and security matters.

Advertisement

The records relate to allegations dating back to the early 1990s, including the 1993 forfeiture of approximately $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu in a U.S. proceeding involving suspected proceeds of narcotics trafficking.

Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations linking him personally to drug trafficking.

Von Batten also warned against any attempt by U.S. officials to interfere with the FOIA or judicial process to prevent the records from being released.

The lobbying firm referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to shielding individuals accused of serious criminal conduct, arguing that the legal process should be allowed to proceed without political interference.

With Judge Howell’s ruling in place, the records are expected to be released on or before August 21, unless further legal action changes the deadline.

Advertisement

The contents of the documents remain unknown, and their release could provide further information about the 1990s forfeiture proceedings and U.S. law-enforcement investigations involving accounts linked to Tinubu.

Continue Reading

Foreign

South Africa Anti-Immigration Group Sets September 30 Deadline for Undocumented Foreigners

Published

5 days ago

on

August 17, 2026

By

Maduka University

South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.

The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.

March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.

Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.

The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.

Advertisement

The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.

The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.

March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.

The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending