‘Anything Japanese can do, Nigerians can do better’

…says 20-old student who designed amateur solid rocket propellant

From ALOYSIUS ATTAH, Onitsha

Are you one of those worried that our universities do not produce researchers and innovators anymore? Maybe you have lost hope that nothing good will ever come out of our ivory towers again, and because of that, are making plans to send your children abroad for higher education.

There is hope. The indomitable spirit and ingenuity of Nigerians that were on display during Nigerian Civil War when Biafrans produced “shore batteries” rockets, “ogbunigwe” (the dread mass killer) and other war arsenals are still present with us. This was in evidence, recently, during projects defense organized by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A 20-year-old of the department called Idoko Modestus Chijioke stunned the panel of assessors when he presented an amateur solid rocket propellant as his own project. His lecturers not only marveled at his ingenuity, his supervisor, Dr. J. A. Alhassan, was so proud of him that he called on the federal government to assist the young genius to achieve the best so as to conquer his world.

The amateur rocket has PVC-pipe as the motor casing, aluminum as the nose cone, ½-inch pvc-cover, aluminum and a ½-inch diameter pipe as the nozzle. The propellant is made up of 325 grams of potassium nitrate (oxidizer) and 175 grams of sorbitol (sugar), making a total of 500 grams. The PVC-pipe is of ¾-inch diameter, and 65cm in length. The rocket motor igniter is a mixture of potassium nitrate and charcoal at 80/20 ratio, to form it into a black powder (gun powder).

Amateur rocketry is also known as experimental rocketry. The project design objective according to Chijioke and to test the workability of a potassium nitrate (oxidizer) and sorbitol (fuel) blended into a KN-SB propellant for the amateur rocket made with local materials. The rocket which was launched successfully on one of the hill-tops behind the university attained an estimated height of 35m in flight.

In a chance encounter with this reporter, Chijioke shed more light on how he came up with the idea for the project.

“I came up with this project because of a childhood dream of being a rocket scientist,” he said, “and this particularly led me into the Department of Physics and Astronomy, of UNN, to get a good grasp of the physics/science of rockets and an understanding of astronomy for which rocket is basically built”.

Asked what challenges he encountered in the course of carrying out the project, the soft spoken young man said he cannot point to any because according to him, “life is all about challenges but with focus and determination, success will surely come”.

“Some people around me thought this was not possible,” he added. “But this only made me determined to prove them wrong. The other challenges were normal in amateur rocketry as several trials were made and several failures recorded. But at last the design objective was obtained. I have dreams and tall ambitions. One of them is to be in space one day. I only pray that my dreams will get support both from government and well meaning individuals so that they will be actualized”.

In a chat with Education Review, Alhassan, his project supervisor, said that, through his project, young Chijioke has demystified science.

“The solid rocket propellant constructed by Idoko Chijioke, though an adaptation of an amateur astronomer experiments, is original. He fabricated the rocket from locally available materials from our environment. Whenever we hear of rockets, our minds by reflex action go to the technologically advanced world. Chijoke has demystified science by his effort. If he is properly motivated and equipped, he can break the ice in scientific world. There is hope for \Nigeria’s national transformation if we can support and fund scientific innovations like my student has done” he said.


Culled from the Daily Sun (CAMPUS SQUARE), Tuesday, October 16, 2012, pages 31 and 32
http://www.unn.edu.ng/news/unn-student-develops-amateur-rocket-propellant

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Good achievement. I pray d federal govt givs more attention 2 d education sector,most nigerian students ar talented in 1 way or d oda bt lack efficient equipments to bring out d shinning stars in dem.

Way to go , boy. The entire armies of the UN put together cannot stop a vision whose time is at hand. Be steadfast and you'll colonize planets.

And now, let's talk about Jesus.

How His Spirit, speaking through Solomon the wise, made it clear that a diligent man has no business standing before whinny commoners.

Ogbunigwe II

third to comment!

shadrach77: third to comment!

4th rather

AjanleKoko: Ogbunigwe II

In preperation of WW111

My alma mata....


Thats cool from the dude...

Nigeria is proud of u...

Atleast, no b only unilag students go dey make us proud...

Thats a good one.these are among the talents that Nigeria govt hate especially when its manufactured by biafrans.thats why they shut down some departments in UNN and until now,they refuse to open them.

If he likes his future,he should just get himself out of dis country as soon as he can else he will soon join the list of applicant for Dangote's truck drivers. This country does not support his kind of dreams....

Good one! With more of those Rockets and a little improvement. The U.S is no match to Nigeria.

Believe me you, most of the Western greatest scientists of past five decades were Blacks, but were veiled to avoid fame while theirs(whites) are presented as the mind behind those acheivements. Mark my word, if this guy is to succeed, he will be carried off to U.S or some other Western nations for improved/ advanced weapon productions, while the old stock will be sent to Nigeria as is always the case. God help him.

lOCAL TECHNOLOGY

A Nigerian has only just achieved in the 21st Century, what the Chinese perfected in 200 B.C.. a University Student no-less. Clap for him please. it is an achievement indeed, perhaps in 2040 we shall perfect this Rocketry

THE KNOCKOUT I FIRED ON 4TH OF JULY WENT HIGHER THAN 35 METRES

pDude: lOCAL TECHNOLOGY

Which one has anybody in ur lineage been able to Make? The only thing you're good at is eating, sHittting and typing jealousy all over Nairaland! LocalLy made OdE!

Abyjah: Way to go , boy. The entire armies of the UN put together cannot stop a vision whose time is at hand. Be steadfast and you'll colonize planets.

And now, let's talk about Jesus.

How His Spirit, speak through Solomon the wise, made it clear that a diligent man has no business standing before whinny commoners.

I don't know what the heck your smoking......but I want some!

;DEgbunigwe for another Biafra war. What and achievement, hope this one will fly past river niger this time around. The boy resemble kidnapper sef maybe na another kidnapping wepon in the offin.

Hope his name is not change from yoruba to igbo. Because this man look yorubaish

indomitable lion

pDude: THE KNOCKOUT I FIRED ON 4TH OF JULY WENT HIGHER THAN 35 METRES

enemy of progres

So yoruba man wan cliam say d boy na ibo.sory 2 burst ur buble amala no dy gve sence o

Abyjah: Way to go , boy. The entire armies of the UN put together cannot stop a vision whose time is at hand. Be steadfast and you'll colonize planets.

And now, let's talk about Jesus.

How His Spirit, speak through Solomon the wise, made it clear that a diligent man has no business standing before whinny commoners.

wat is wrong with you?

UNN at it again!
Just yesterday a UNN prof sold his art work for 11.4M
I believe UNN still produces the best graduates till date.

Why this interest in rockets?
Is he a muslim?

Abyjah: Way to go , boy. The entire armies of the UN put together cannot stop a vision whose time is at hand. Be steadfast and you'll colonize planets.

And now, let's talk about Jesus.

How His Spirit, speak through Solomon the wise, made it clear that a diligent man has no business standing before whinny commoners.

Dayuum!
Spot diagnosis substance abuse.
?weed, cocaine, LSD, Gum, BZDP

looks very much like a borrowed technology from BOKO HARAM

lagerwhenindoubt: A Nigerian has only just achieved in the 21st Century, what the Chinese perfected in 200 B.C.. a University Student no-less. Clap for him please. it is an achievement indeed, perhaps in 2040 we shall perfect this Rocketry

​​U̶̲̥̅̊ be heavy mumu

Lets commend mediocrity because of our level of thinking , go to Japan and see what kids do there...keep it up mr student .

at ajanlekoko my tots exactly... the weapon made by the biafran soldiers during the civil war..... he is a true son of his people

Catch_fire:



wat is wrong with you?

Small mind busy trying to stop the gospel. Just like Napoleon the great, you'll soon cry out that God almighty is too much for you.

I wanna still talk about Jesus.

How He made it clear that he that is not for us is against us. Sons of perdition.