The Jelani Aliyu Factor And The Gift Of Encouragement 
Ikechi Udegbunam Chukwunonye

The news that Nigerian-born Jelani Aliyu, 40, designed the electric car Chevy Volt is refreshing and brings to fore again, the numerous human potentials infused in Nigeria.  Nigeria, no doubt is a country saturated with vast geniuses. Many more endowed with different capacities may never be heard until there are opportunities - until there is a societal truncation of inhilatory idiosyncrasies .A shift to talent espousal. Our educational system and larger society largely emphasize theory with little stimulus for pragmaticism. The capable are relegated to subservience while mountains of hypothetical peddlers are hallowed. The onus rests on any well-meaning Nigerian to assist in any way.

But all hope is not lost in dredging local potentials to economic relevance in Nigeria. First Bank of Nigeria Plc, and Zinox Technologies Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a N1 billion facility recently, that would enable customers buy Zinox computers more easily. Now with a 10% down payment, a student, worker or a lecturer in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions can own a computer or a laptop. Chief Leo Stan Ekeh is the chairman of Zinox Technologies. Nigerians have achieved technological advancements.Olukayode Oluwole, a Nigerian mechanical engineer based in the United States made a keyboard capable of typing tonal marks and ascents of over 400 Nigerian languages. Nigerian teacher, Mohammed Bah Abba won $75,000 for his pot-in-pot cooling system for refrigeration - the zeer pot.Brino Gilbert, won two medals and a trophy at the May 2003  Invention and New Product Exposition(INPEX) in the United States. He also won a bronze medal in the aerospace/Aeronautics category and a manufacturing silver medal . After 10 years of plying through the wilderness, soliciting for assistance, solitude finally came from America to Gilbert. Ezekiel Izogu is the dab hand behind Z-600, arguably Nigeria’s first car.

Modern industrialized societies are built on the participatory symbiosm of digital development. A country cannot afford to neglect indigenous technologies. Every single ability must be summoned to achieve national development. Talent exploration starts off like a dream and blooms into an exquisite want - tailed from continent to continent. Today many of us use appliances/technologies we  know little about. These creature comforts were built in many cases, on  a deliberate policy of inclusion. Their societies emphasized/emphasize the importance aptitudes, developments. No country blights or repudiates capacities and excels. Nigeria cannot be an exception.

Have you ever thought about the history of email? The email  is the brainchild of the email system invented by Raymond Tomlinson. It was the first system able to send emails across different hosts; previously emails could only be sent by people using the same computer. He used the @ sign to separate the user from the machine. At the time of his  invention, it was thought to be inconsequential; when he showed the invention to one of his friends, he was told off.

Bell Laboratories invented cellular mobile phone. There are so many other inventions that have helped humanity. Thomas Alva  Edison (1874-1931) invented the first electric bulb. He invented phonograph, telephone and motion picture technology.

"Mortals! rejoice at so great an ornament to the human race!" Proclaims the Latin inscription on Newton's tomb.Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was born in Lincolnshire on December 25, 1642. The foundation of technological civilization rests on him. The law of motion – laws of inertia, action and reaction and acceleration proportional force – also known as the Newton’s laws were defined by him in his book 1 of Principia. Newton also correctly formulated and solved the first ever problem in the calculus of variations .He propagated the principles of scientific methods which applied globally to all branches of science. He was the first to place dynamics on a competent basis, from which he deduced the theory of statics.He was the first to enunciate the theory of attractions, the application of the principles of mechanics to the solar system, the creation of physical astronomy and the establishment of the law of physical astronomy. He developed the theory of hydrodynamics. Newton was the first to solidify physical sciences. He was the first to mathematize and elevate them to vigorous procedure which marked the Age of Reason. The principles expounded by Newton were used in social science. They influenced the economic theories of Adam Smith. The decision to make the United States legislature bicameral is said be his ascendancy.

It is no gainsaying that talent exploitation serves as an alembic for national development. Encouragement is a very potent tool in enhancing a nation. A nation that ignores the exigencies of encouragement does so at its/his/her own peril. The potentials of each citizen must be encouraged, allowed to flower and assume maximum benefit for society. Sadly, in Nigeria this is lacking and in many respects - being talented in Nigeria is mostly a taboo: you are relegated and thrown apart. If care is not taken, you can be killed in some cases or subjected to witchcraft. Such is decrepitude talents/abilities are treated in Nigeria. People have argued that this attitude is a consequence of sociological degradation in our society but I beg to defer. Each individual can contribute to uplifting of our country.

At the age of 8 or 9, I was taught how to play chess. At first I was occupied with learning how to move the knight – a chess piece - which was really unique compared to the queen ,towers , rooks, pawns etc. At the age of 10, I came back home with my first chess championship win. I was given a trophy for the triumph. I also won a swimming medal in a championship. Those little seeds, sown in me proved to be energizing and inspiring. I have since smashed chess experts, won another chess championship, defeated two of the hardest chess softwares/electronic games in the world. These were made possible in an atmosphere of encouragement; the prodding, the encouragement, the correction all did it for me. I was not thrown away, relegated, flogged irredeemably, but I was taken aside with the gentle understanding of encouragement.

People who studied at the University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) regaled me with tales of inventions by students. I was told about someone who came routinely  to school with a car he made and an invention that provided electricity to the university. I am sure that that these tales replicate all around Nigerian institions. Nigeria, I have no doubt, is a boiling pot of immense capabilities and potentials – from sports to science, there are people vested with tremendous potentials.

I used to watch a programme – Dragon’s den –  people would bring their discoveries and stand in the midst of entrepreneurs and advertise them. The ones the entrepreneurs found interesting were taken up with a promise of financial investments in return for a share in the company.I watched as creative inventions that go to the heart of human needs were brought .I found out, why in advanced countries, there are so many little gadgets, used in enhancing standard of living. As long as there is a financial backer, the products go into fruition. This spurns initiatives - people are propelled to invest their talents into productivity.

There are world bodies that animate this renaissance. Amongst them  is the World Intellectual Property. Last year for example Bianling Zhang,31,Xumao Ye,34,Ning Zhang,36, Houjian Tang,31, and Manxia Tie, all won a gold medal for ‘ A Method of the Secure Access of Mobile Device and Confidential Data Communication in Wireless Local Area Network.’
 

A country is destined to arteriosclerosis if  every positive creativity is not committed to use. Every individual must sink forth their time and resource in ensuring that the best comes out of Nigerians. The waiting and blaming of government should now be a thing of the past.Government has a responsibility, but so do individuals/stakeholders. It could only mean organizing a little tournament for people. 

featurediarist1@yahoo.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 The news that Nigerian-born Jelani Aliyu,40, designed the electric car Chevy Volt is refreshing a...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 25.01.2007 21:45

yashuaib1  Villager

# 2 We thank God for Jelani Aliyu and many of them making the nation proud outside there. Nobody care or bother to ask from where is this Whizkid even though he is from one of those Hausa/Fulani states where Sharia is practiced. Such an enquiry is not necessary: We are all Nigerians even though some people have the habit of calling others names when they too have.... The message? Every society can produce the best and be self reliant once they are focused and committed to improve the lot of our people. To Jelani and others, we say: THANK YOU FOR MAKING NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS PROUD. YAShuaib Posted by yashuaib1| 26.01.2007 09:50