UNIZIK students make mini bus from local materials

seven final-year engineering students of Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, designed
and constructed a mini bus from scratch with locally
sourced materials made specially to suit Nigeria’s
topography and climatic condition.

“The bus was constructed from start to finish at the
University’s workshop, using all necessary design
software and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools.

We
constructed the chassis, down to every single part of
the mini bus,” said Callistus Ezeigwe, one of the
seven.

The group, known as the Autozik Group, was made up
of six males and a female including Callistus Ezeigwe,
Victor Obinani, Ifeanyi Ezeanolue, Ogbu Ikenna,
Fidelis Ominigbo, Nnamdi Nwobodo and Chinaza
Okoro, was supervised by the then Head of
Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. C.H.
Achebe.

“We made the mini bus using mere hand tools. This
means we did all of the constructions and folding,
with our hands, since the university could not provide
us with ground equipment, as used in most
automobile companies,” said Ezeugwu.

The mini bus which took about five months to
complete, has a beautiful finishing so that people
find it difficult to believe it was made in Nigeria.

Ezeigwe said the aim was to construct a mini bus
using locally sourced materials, which is more
durable and can better stand the test of time,
compared to other brands out there.

“We named it Autobully,” said Obinani Victor,
explaining that the brand name, coined from the
normal bullion van, fits the shape of the mini bus.

There is no doubt that Nigeria has talents but the
challenge is how to tap and harness them for the
good of the nation. These youths have been able to
achieve this feat with no help from expatriates.

They
have shown some sense of doggedness and
proficiency and they must not be allowed to be swept
away by the tide of brain drain.

Also in the same institution, five final-year
engineering students produced a Formula 1 car
(Racing car).

Well meaning Nigerians have appealed to the
government to invest in these youths and channel
resources to the Automobile sector as they seek to
diversify the economy. They also appealed to the
public to buy made in Nigeria products to grow the
Naira.

WELL DONE GUYS! #Africa #youth #Talent #Vision
#IAmAfrican #AfricansRock