Ahmadu Bello University Zaria: Innovation - Key to Economic Growth and Development

Ahmadu Bello University Zaria: Innovation - Key to Economic Growth and Development

The indefatigable and amiable Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU), Professor Ibrahim Garba has done it again, he was able to bring the ever busy and famous Jelani Aliyu, MFR to the 39th Convocation of the university as the speaker of the Convocation lecture, a gathering that assembled "who is who" in the nation automobile industry, technocrats, politicians and academia. The first time Professor Garba  brought change in the traditional way of convocation lecture was when he pulled the richest African, Alhaji Aliyu Dangote to the university to deliver special convocation lecture in February, 2016. when you say Dangote is a busy man, it is a gross understatement, yet he was brought to ABU and made to deliver a lecture to the general public. Back to Jelani, who is he? Jelani appeared in this column in two different articles; Educational Feats of Nigerians in Diaspora: Food for Thoughts II and Nigerian Born Inventors and their Inventions. Jelani, a Nigerian from Sokoto state living in USA is a celebrated car designer of General Motors. General Motors is the world’s largest automobile maker.  Jelani is the designer of the Chevy Volt, a car refuted to be an American Revolution and considered to be one of the apt concepts in the design line. Globally, Jelani's work was considered to be a masterpiece in the car industry because it was the best selection made out of many entries from renowned automobile designers across the continents. Prof. Carl Olsen, an American professor of automobile design, his teacher described Jelani's piece as the bright future of General Motors. He said "Jelani is exceptionally gifted as a car designer..... he is representing the future of the General Motors....every designer was giving opportunity to design a car that can meet certain criteria,  there were submissions from USA, Britain and Germany. In the end, Jelani's design was chosen as the best" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqx-xKGeDCA).

The presentation of Jelani as the speaker of the 39th Convocation of Ahmadu Bello University on 25th November, 2016 was a thought provoking, an inspiration to the young Nigerians and bundle of hopes to the generality of the populace. Yes, when you come across people like Jelanis, Emeagwalis, Dangotes, Imafidon's family in UK and host of others, the Nigerian in you must come out and you must be proud to be a Nigerian. I am sharing the abridged version of the Jelani's lecture with my esteemed readers with the hope that the message will come across those who can use it to make this country great in technological advancement. Happy reading

 "It is with great pleasure that I am here at this 39th Convocation Lecture of this great University. The true value of ABU to the success of Nigeria and the West African region in general, is immeasurable, it is a paragon of empowering our mind, the greatest asset for learning and growth. The subject of this lecture is "innovation". Innovation is the phenomenon that has propelled earlier great civilizations and today's developed nations to success. It is the continuous commitment of a people to develop new and more effective solutions to their challenges, establishes their societies as progressive and economically successful, thereby creating employment, fulfillment and higher living standard.

In 1908, Henry Ford, one of the greatest industrialists, put into practice the system he developed   for the mass production of affordable automobiles, with that innovation he produced 16.5 million of the Model T, putting America on wheels and forever changing the economic landscape of the country. His cars empowered individuals and families, 'they could now take advantage of job opportunities and services further away, cover a broader area faster and more efficient. This additionally energized the housing and tourism industries, further contributing, positively to the American economy. This history is forever fresh in the mind of every American!

Today in Nigeria, we are at a vital crossroads and thus we have to initiate a culture of innovation of some strategic projects for national development. Imagine a future for Nigeria, a Nigeria of incredible accomplishments, abundance, peace and ubiquitous health to all and sundry. A Nigeria where every city, town and village, in every part of the country would be an epitome of success. A Nigeria where all communities and villages would have a hi-tech health centers with physicians having direct access to specialists from around the world. A Nigeria where nomadic cattle herders would leverage solar powered drones and GPS to locate and access fertile grazing land without trespassing on farms or private property. As Nigerians, we are, a people of wisdom, virtue and prowess. And these powerful capabilities that reside within us must be reawakened. These inherent capabilities propelled me into my career as an Automotive Designer. What is fascinating about the profession is the continuous innovation and discovery that it deals with, always strategizing for the future and coming up with new concepts and solutions, working years ahead of actual model launch.

I have worked on the designs of several exciting vehicles, but the most fascinating and the biggest game changer is the Chevrolet Volt Electric car which ushered in a new era in the automotive industry. Just like a cell phone, you would plug to charge its batteries and then drive up to 60 to 75 km on pure electric power. The Volt started off as a design competition between the company's three advanced studios, in Michigan, California and England: we were tasked with to coming up with a new type of vehicle that would define the future of the company. There were over 200 entries, narrowed to five, and then, mine was chosen as the winner to be the Chevrolet Volt Electric Car.

I drew my inspiration for the design of the Volt from my African background and closeness to nature: when we observe nature we see that we live on a truly magical planet, a gigantic orb of life hurtling through space, everywhere we look around us, we are surrounded by wonders of our natural world, from the tiny leaf of less than a millimeter thick and yet a highly efficient factory, to the amazing sea rays that glide within the deep waters of the Atlantic, planet earth is a perfect balance of beauty and practicality, and that was the inspiration for my design of the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt is an incredible success, defining the future of General Motors and ushering in a new era of renewable energy powered cars.

After the Volt, I have worked on other exciting design projects such as the Bumblebee Camaro featured in the Transformers 4 Movie and the 2016 Chevrolet SiEverado, which is the company's premier income earner. With the Bumblebee, the design brief was to design a sports car that captured the essence of the Autobot Transformer. The Silverado is designed to be an extremely capable utility vehicle that carries on the tradition of performance and durability in that segment.                                                                     

So how did I start from Sokoto and became an Automotive Designer in the USA? It has been an incredible journey with a strong vision, perseverance and strategy. After my basic education in Nigeria, I gained admission into the Collage for Creative Studies, Michigan to study Automotive Design. After graduation, I was getting ready to come back to Nigeria and live on the continent that I love so much when the automotive giant General Motors, which had been monitoring my educational development, hired me to work at the corporation's Design Centre in Michigan. After about three years, I went on international assignment to Opel in Germany, where I worked on the division's then best seller in Europe, the Astra. Back at the General Motors in USA, I worked as the Lead Exterior Designer on the Pontiac G6, the vehicle that ushered in a new design era for the Pontiac brand. Automotive design deals with the continued discovery of advanced concepts, looking at more efficient and effective solutions with every new model. That is exactly the type of skill needed to move Nigeria forward. That intensive search for solutions, a culture of advanced research and development aimed at delivering solutions to enhance the quality of life and create a better tomorrow. We must innovate in all facets, from agriculture to education, from health care to construction and transportation. But we must be bold and unprecedented in our strategy, because a successful future lies not in mediocre ideas, nor outdated ones,  nor in solutions that are not in tune with our culture, climate and economic structure. The future of Nigeria depends on what we choose to imagine and focus our mental energies on today. (to be continued next week)