The thought that this mini bus was designed and constructed in Nigeria, by Nigerian Engineers and not foreign Engineers, working here as expatriates; is indeed a hard one to believe, as it is looking more foreign than home made.
The thought that it was produced inside the University workshop of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, by 7 Graduate Engineers of Mechanical Engineering Department, of the Faculty of Engineering, is certainly a hard bone to swallow.
These lads have given in their best, to put up this gigantic project within a very short frame of time, and thus, it has become the talk of the town.
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One will wonder how undergraduates, who know they have got very limited time to stay in the University and so, should enjoy their last days within the 4-walls of the University, still gave in to stressful and strenuous nights at the workshop, just to write their names on the sands of time.
These guys are worth all the laurels and awards in this country at this particular point in time and thus, be given immediate employment, so that their brains and zeal towards invention are kept in line.
They are:
EZEIGWE CALLISTUS CHITOO
OBINANI VICTOR CHIMDIKE
NWOBODO NNAMDI MIRACLE
OGBU THADDEUS IKENNA
OMINIGBO FIDELIS IGHO
EZEANOLUE IFEANYI EMMA
OKORO CHINAZA
Obliviously, these students are geniuses, as it is only people in that category that can put up something like this, using crude equipment and 100% local content. They improvised for barely everything that can be found in that mini bus, from the chassis to its roofing.
The bus was even test driven in front of the Minister of state for Education, Prof Anthony Onwuka and other top dignitaries present during the National Universities Commission (NUC), held in UNIZIK. This goes a long way to tell the world out there that, this is Naija’s giant invention, its has been tested, and its indeed it can be trusted.
A warm kudoz! to these guys, for it is certain that a bright future awaits them. A big congratulations to their supervisor and the Head of Department at that time, Dr. C.H Achebe, for giving his boys every necessary vigor they needed to carry out this work, and above all, for being leading by example.
We wish them the best in their field of specialization, as we look forward to bringing our country on the top list of Innovators in the world.
