Ekeomah Atuonwu
Ufot Ekong, a Tokyo-based Nigerian student, achieved a great feat recently by not only breaking a 50-year-old record in Tokai University, Japan, he indeed solved a mathematical puzzle which had remained unsolved for 30 years.
He has been awarded the Nation’s Presidential Award. He is the first Nigerian to bag such an award in the University’s history.
Ufot Ekong is not just good at mathematics, he is also very fluent in English, Japanese, French, Yoruba, and Ibibio. He has also scored the best grades in the University’s history.
During his days at the university, he also earned six awards for academic excellence, including the Overall Best graduating student award.
The Nigerian student also has a master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a doctorate in Power Electronics and Motor drives. Both of these degrees are from Tokai University.
Answering the question on how he managed to solve the 30-year-old math equation, Ufot said: “It is an electrical problem involving mathematics and my entire research team is not allowed to discuss details of academic research, patents, and trade secrets as it regards electric vehicles. We are constrained by a confidentiality agreement not to discuss such projects.”
Currently, Ekong — who is based in Japan — plays the saxophone in his free time and is also the founder of Strictly African Japan, a retail and accessories shop based in Tokyo.
