NIGERIAN TALENT: The Young Inventor Who Designed A Helicopter In JSS1

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Emmanuel Okekunle, 22
Emmanuel Okekunle is a 22-year-old senior secondary school graduate and an aspiring inventor who says Nigerian youths could do more if the Government provided adequate support.
He graduated from Cherubin and Seraphim College, Jos, Plateau State, in 2010.
At the age of 5, he became interested in designing and constructing things and constructed a wheelbarrow to help him carry up to five litres of water. At 7, he started developing electric toy cars using motors, batteries and tomato tins.
In JSS1, he designed a toy helicopter. In SS2, encouraged by a teacher who told his students their inventions could secure them a scholarship, he constructed a rechargeable lamp, fan, emergency alarm, electric waste bin that converts waste to ashes, and an aquarium, among other things.
He sees his ability to design things as a natural talent from God. At first, he says, his parents did not appreciate what he was doing, as he would bring all kinds of 'useful' garbage home. However, when they saw their son's achievements, they began to encourage and support him.
Okekunle says he has been applying to variuous higher education instituttions since graduation from school, but is yet to be lucky. This year, he will once again write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and hopes to secure admission.
After he left school, he went to the state Ministry of Science and Technology to show his innovations, but did not get any support. Then, he went to NTA, Jos, which gave publicity to his inventions via national network. The Plateau State Chapter of the Nigerian Society of Engineers invited him to see his works. However, they merely advised to try and improve the finishing on his works.
He was not discouraged and went to NTA science exhibition. He worked on a methane digester and was able to use it to produce bio-gas. He represented Plateau State in Abuja at a science and technology exhibition with his apparatus.
Currently, he is working on an electronic device for mitigating the effect of HIV/AIDS and is optimistic about his invention.
He says young aspiring inventors like him need support to increase their knowledge and improve capabilities. Young people give up due to lack of encouragement from the Government and other agencies.