by In Nigeria, where there is not so much indigenous technological advancement, there is always the need to properly showcase those making efforts to ensure the country is well represented in the technological space. Nigerians take pride in showcasing technological efforts that are indigenous.
Source: Twitter
Recently, a Nigerian engineer teamed up with his partners to construct a jet engine prototype. Many people were skeptical about the engine’s ability to work. There were naysayers on social media after Engineer Ziko Abara shared his dreams on X.
Engineer Ziko himself acknowledged that there were haters who didn’t believe in him until he showed that the engine worked.
He said in a post he made to celebrate:
“Special thanks to everyone who has supported this program from day one. Special thanks also to the haters and naysayers; you all pushed me to anger to make sure I forge on.”
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Zike completes work on the engine prototype
Legit.ng interviewed Ziko, who is from Ebonyi state. He said he set out to build Nigeria’s first aircraft engine.
He said:
“The jet engine project was aimed at building Nigeria’s first indigenous aircraft engine, particularly the Turbojet type.”
Undertaking such a huge project is no mean feat financially. However, Ziko said he was able to fund it from his personal funds and contributions made by some social media users who believed in his talents.
He said:
“The bulk of the funding for the project came internally within our startup Zedora, but some supporters and well wishers in the online community made some donations to the cause, in total we have spent close to N1.2 million on the jet engine project.”
The first two Ziko built failed
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But it was difficult at every point because building an aircraft engine from start to finish is not a tea party. In fact, Ziko confirmed that their first two attempts at building prototypes failed.
His words:
“We built three prototypes, out of which the first two failed and the last one succeeded.”
But why build a jet engine in Nigeria? Why did Ziko and his partners embark on such a project that could cost them millions? Legit.ng posed this question to him and he responded:
“To show that aircraft engines can be built in Nigeria and Africa, this will result in the creation of jobs, further the cause for indigenous innovation and give us a sense of national pride.”
Ziko, however, said there is still room for improvement on the project. He noted that the future is bright and insisted those building aircraft abroad are not born with two heads.
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He said:
“Yes, the engine still has more room for improvements, especially in materials and thrust. Well, hopefully, if the right resources and support are in place, why not, we have the ability, our international counterparts that have been building theirs for 60 years plus do not have two heads..”
Legit.ng wanted to know if Ziko received government support during his great efforts, he said the talks are still ongoing.
His words:
“Well, so far we are still in talks, that’s all I can reveal for now, although we hope for more collaboration to take the project to a higher level, especially from the private sector not just the government alone.”
Man builds prototype of filling station
In a related story, a Nigerian boy who is so creative that what he has built is going viral and attracting comments on social media.
The boy was able to build a prototype filling station that looked so beautiful that people praised him.
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When he was asked to operate the prototype filling station, he took one of the pumps and pumped liquid out.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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