The Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka , Prof.
Joseph Ahaneku is a happy man now following the feat achieved by his
students. This was because the Department of Mechanical Engineering of
the university had again proved that it was not just good in theory
but
also in the practical aspect of their studies. Seven graduating
students from the department constructed a “made in Nigeria” mini bus to
the satisfaction of the university community.
The journey into car manufacturing in the university started last
year, when a group of five students from the same department produced a Formula 1 car called AutoZIK. The
seven students include Ezeigwe Chitoo, Obinani Victor, Ezeanolue
Ifeanyi, Okoro Chinaza, Ominigbo Fidelis, Nwobodo Nnamdi and Ogbu
Thaddeus.
They were supervised by the Head of the department, Dr. C.H. Achebe. South East Voice learned
that the group, which is known as ‘AUTOZIK II,’ spent over five months
constructing the mini bus for shuttles within and around the university
with locally sourced materials.
Like the popular saying, “What a man can do, a woman can do even
better,” the conspicuous presence of a female, ‘Okoro Chinaza’ in the
team spoke volumes. On how she was able to surmount the challenges as
the only female in the midst of her male counterparts with respect to
the stress associated with such herculean tasks, she said: “I had always
been in their midst right from my first year in school, so it was not
really a big deal.”
She disclosed that she had always followed her passion regardless of
what people around said or thought. Narrating the success story, one of
the engineers, Ezeigwe Chitoo, said that the project was a dream come
true. “The Autozik group made the design using CAD software, and all
necessary simulation softwares for the analysis, putting the environment
into critical consideration. The bus has good seating positions, better
fuel conservation, good passenger view and very good aesthetics. It was
built to suit the topography of our environment and the weather
condition we have in this part of the world,” he said.
According to him, the bus was constructed from start to finish,
inside the mechanical workshop of the university. He disclosed that the
project was aimed at advancing the ergonomic standard of existing
shuttle buses. The bus can be compared to other foreign produced ones
and it is outstanding. Also speaking, a member of the team, Ifeanyi
said: “The AUTOZIK team had gone through a whole lot before arriving at
this platform. When we started, many thought we will not come this far,
but today they have come to rejoice with us.
“We thank God, who has brought us this far, we also thank our
supervisor and the Head of Department Dr. C.H. Achebe, for his fatherly
advice and support throughout the duration of the project,” he happily
said. The bus was test-driven within and outside the university to prove
that it was movable, durable and above all, fully made in Nigeria. Some
of the students of the department, in an interview, commended the
efforts of Dr. Achebe and his team of lecturers, who, according to them,
were doing great job, by igniting the spirit and the zeal of invention
and innovation in Nigeria.
They also commended the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Ihueze Toochukwu,
who, they said, had brought huge improvement to the Faculty of
Engineering and re-branding the system. The team further praised the
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ahaneku, who according to them, had changed the
face of the institution, wiped out examination malpractice and improved
the standard of learning. According to Chitoo, Ahaneku’s support for the
Faculty of Engineering had increased the zeal for invention and
ingenuity in the faculty.
