Abuja Students Battle It Out in AEPB Smart City Competition on World Environment Day
Junior secondary school students from across the Federal Capital Territory had something special to show the world on Friday. Instead of marking the 2026 World Environment Day with the usual speeches and ceremonies, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work, designing smart city models that tackled real environmental challenges head on.
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) organised the competition as part of its World Environment Day activities. It was a bold and refreshing approach, and the students delivered.
A Practical Challenge With Real Impact
Rather than asking students to sit through lectures, the AEPB gave them a hands on task: design a model of a smart, sustainable city. Each school then presented its concept to a panel of judges.
The results were impressive. Across the board, students proposed ideas that touched on clean energy, efficient waste management, and environmentally friendly transport systems. For young teenagers, the depth of thinking on display was remarkable.
After all presentations were carefully evaluated, the top three schools emerged as follows:
- Government JSS Piwoyi – 1st place with 84.2 points
- Government Secondary School Gosa – 2nd place with 83 points
- Noble Guide School, Kubwa – 3rd place with 80 points
The remaining four schools also competed well. GSS Kadokushi scored 76.8 points, GSS Pyakasa recorded 52 points, GSS Zone 4 finished with 50.8 points, and GSS Garki rounded off the table with 49.82 points.
As a reward for their outstanding performances, the top three schools received bags and plaques. Meanwhile, every other participating school went home with books, a fitting gift that reinforced the spirit of learning the day was built around.
This event was about far more than trophies. It reflected a deliberate shift in how the AEPB is approaching environmental education in the FCT.
By putting students at the centre of the conversation rather than on the sidelines, the board is building a generation that does not just understand sustainability but actually cares about it. That distinction matters enormously.
After all, Abuja is already investing heavily in greener infrastructure: cleaner buses, better waste systems, and smarter urban planning. The students who competed on Friday will eventually live and work in that city. Getting them engaged early is not just a good idea, it is a necessity.
The Takeaway
Nigeria’s young people are paying attention. They are creative, they are curious, and as Friday’s competition showed, they are more than capable of contributing meaningful ideas to the country’s environmental future.
Events like this remind us that sustainable development is not only a government responsibility. It starts in classrooms, grows through competitions like this one, and ultimately shapes the kind of cities we all want to live in.
