In 1997, a brilliant Igbo Electrical Engineer and Lecturer at the Federal polytechnic Nekede, Dr. Ezekiel Izogu designed and developed the Izuogu Z-600, the first African indigenous manufactured car.
The car was described by the BBC as ‘ the African dream machine’ as 90% of its parts were sourced locally . At a projected sales cost of 2000 dollars, it would have taken the world by storm and become the cheapest and most affordable car on earth. With mass production planned under Izogu Motors plant in Naze owerri, the prospects of an industrial revolution in Igbo land and Nigeria, was in the making.
The car was equipped with a self made 1.8L four cylinder engine that got 18mpg and allowedthe car to achieve a top speed of 140 km/h. Front Wheel Drive (FWD) was chosen over Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) because a transmission tunnel, which RWD would require, would be more expensive to fabricate.
So 90% of the car’s components were made locally. General Sani Abacha set up a 12 man panel of inquiry made up of professionals to ascertain the road worthiness and authenticity of the car and after several days of probing, the committee gave Dr. Izuogu’s car a clean bill of health recommending that some of the bumps on the body of the car be smoothened. It is worthy to note that this was five years before India built their first car known as the Indi.
At a well organized unveiling ceremony which had General Abacha represented by Oladipo Diya, over 20 foreign ambassadors and thousands of people in attendance, the federal government promised a grant of 235 million naira to Dr.Izuogu.
An excited Dr Izuogu is still waiting for that grant till today. No dime was released to him. In 2006, th monetary terms, but also time (about 10 years) and the energy it took to design and produce the moulds. “To worsen the matter, our design notebook was also stolen,” he stated.
He regarded the incident as a national economic disaster because the nation had lost a technological and intellectual property. This Press was quiet about this story. The set back and governments attitude frustrated Izuogu and his dream died.

https:// https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izuogu_Z-600 /wiki/Izuogu_Z-600

The wickedness of the Nigerian government.

pix

d pix dey there na.

Meanwhile innoson motors moved on and is waxing strong.
Okay

So sad.

At times i wonder if Nigeria actually wants to develop, or are we just mouthing off.

Every good idea is either ignored or surpressed.

philchudi:
In 1997, a brilliant Igbo Electrical Engineer and Lecturer at the Federal polytechnic Nekede, Dr. Ezekiel Izogu designed and developed the Izuogu Z-600, the first African indigenous manufactured car.
The car was described by the BBC as ‘ the African dream machine’ as 90% of its parts were sourced locally . At a projected sales cost of 2000 dollars, it would have taken the world by storm and become the cheapest and most affordable car on earth. With mass production planned under Izogu Motors plant in Naze owerri, the prospects of an industrial revolution in Igbo land and Nigeria, was in the making.
The car was equipped with a self made 1.8L four cylinder engine that got 18mpg and allowedthe car to achieve a top speed of 140 km/h. Front Wheel Drive (FWD) was chosen over Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) because a transmission tunnel, which RWD would require, would be more expensive to fabricate.
So 90% of the car’s components were made locally. General Sani Abacha set up a 12 man panel of inquiry made up of professionals to ascertain the road worthiness and authenticity of the car and after several days of probing, the committee gave Dr. Izuogu’s car a clean bill of health recommending that some of the bumps on the body of the car be smoothened. It is worthy to note that this was five years before India built their first car known as the Indi.
At a well organized unveiling ceremony which had General Abacha represented by Oladipo Diya, over 20 foreign ambassadors and thousands of people in attendance, the federal government promised a grant of 235 million naira to Dr.Izuogu.
An excited Dr Izuogu is still waiting for that grant till today. No dime was released to him. In 2006, th monetary terms, but also time (about 10 years) and the energy it took to design and produce the moulds. “To worsen the matter, our design notebook was also stolen,” he stated.
He regarded the incident as a national economic disaster because the nation had lost a technological and intellectual property. This Press was quiet about this story. The set back and governments attitude frustrated Izuogu and his dream died.

. You should have uploaded the picture of the car.

frustration under tension Owerri

Nigeria has been killing dreams since 1799.





Can someone tell me why this is not on Frontpage Even Nairaland is killing ideas!

Nigerian Government Why?

Masterclass32:
So sad.

At times i wonder if Nigeria actually wants to develop, or are we just mouthing off.

Every good idea is either ignored or surpressed.

basically. "they" don't want us to. they being the powers that be.

MrsPhyno:

basically. "they" don't want us to. they being the powers that be.

Madam, you no dey sleep?

MissSlimbody:

Madam, you no dey sleep?

i will soon how are u

MrsPhyno:

i will soon how are u

I'm good...trust you're good too?

See take it or leave it,like or HATE it...igbos are more technoloigical minded and creative than any other tribe.lalasticalala

daamazing:
See take it or leave it,like or HATE it...igbos are more technoloigical minded and creative than any other tribe.lalasticalala

You people have to make everything about tribe. What a country

What does this teach us?


never ever rely on the Nigerian government for anything. they're just a bunch of useless potbellied men and women.

MrsPhyno:

basically. "they" don't want us to. they being the powers that be.

So what do you think we should do about this?

daamazing:
See take it or leave it,like or HATE it...igbos are more technoloigical minded and creative than any other tribe.lalasticalala

see forget about tribe. we all have to work together as a team. we are one, thats how to do things.

Teempakguy:


So what do you think we should do about this?

People need to become visionaries lol. That's what Nigeria lacks. We have rich people, we have geniuses, we have talent. But we don't have dreamers or visionaries. Cause the powers that be are always gonna be anti change but ppl need to see it as their destiny to force the change no matter what. Eg. Martin Luther King and the like..... Young people need to dream big, not just in terms of getting rich but trying to get their names in history books, trying to impact social change. IMO.

The kind of story that makes you wanna give up anyway... Where you'd feel ; This will just go under after all...

MrsPhyno:

People need to become visionaries lol. That's what Nigeria lacks. We have rich people, we have geniuses, we have talent. But we don't have dreamers or visionaries. Cause the powers that be are always gonna be anti change but ppl need to see it as their destiny to force the change no matter what. Eg. Martin Luther King and the like..... Young people need to dream big, not just in terms of getting rich but trying to get their names in history books, trying to impact social change. IMO.

But we do have visionaries.
I'm a visionary myself. with quite lofty goals. and I'd like to think that people like Johnydon22 and robinhez are visionaries as well.

so I don't think the problem with Nigeria is a visionary problem. I think the problem is one of disconnection.
The time has elapsed where single individuals could make significant contributions to science and technology. The time now is one of connection and collaboration. we are in 2015. not 1900. All the simple problems have been solved. what remains now are mindbending difficulties. such as the workings of the brain, room temperature superconduction, quantum computing, reversing aging, artificial intelligence, and how to create and manipulate life itself.

the time has come where problems are being solved by huge farm sized computers. not by humans on blackboards. we are entering the era of molecular computing. where fields merge. chemistry and physics combine with computer engineers and scientists. before, we had the CPU. now we have the GPU and HPU in addition. and now we've got silicon photonics. where three entire fields merge.

one person cannot do all these. you need teams. and funding. you need marketing, you need advertisers, deceivers. don't worry. we already have all of these people. the last step is, in bold. Fusion of dreams, and talents.

don't you think it's quite embarrassing that out of the top 500 fastest computers in the world, not a single one is in Nigeria? and we can easily build one. these stubborn people JUST won't work together!

Read this b4...

So sad,!

Teempakguy:

don't you think it's quite embarrassing that out of the top 500 fastest computers in the world, not a single one is in Nigeria? and we can easily build one. these stubborn people JUST won't work together!

And who are they?

RobinHez:


And who are they?

not you jare.

abi you be computer scientist?

There is a statement that always pique my interest whenever I read this story - “To worsen the matter, our design notebook was also stolen”. I wonder why anyone will so such. It is not like you want to use it for anything but just to pull a man down.

daamazing:
See take it or leave it,like or HATE it...igbos are more technoloigical minded and creative than any other tribe.lalasticalala

Can we just stop looking at issues from a tribal lens?

MrsPhyno:

People need to become visionaries lol. That's what Nigeria lacks. We have rich people, we have geniuses, we have talent. But we don't have dreamers or visionaries. Cause the powers that be are always gonna be anti change but ppl need to see it as their destiny to force the change no matter what. Eg. Martin Luther King and the like..... Young people need to dream big, not just in terms of getting rich but trying to get their names in history books, trying to impact social change. IMO.

Actually, there are people with visions but the problem still boils down to what you said - powers that be. There are people out there who strive hard to make their visions a reality and after getting the laid down plans for how to get it financed, they are presented with conditions that someone cannot fulfill; conditions that aren't given to 'big' men.

Teempakguy:
But we do have visionaries.
I'm a visionary myself. with quite lofty goals. and I'd like to think that people like Johnydon22 and robinhez are visionaries as well.
so I don't think the problem with Nigeria is a visionary problem. I think the problem is one of disconnection.
The time has elapsed where single individuals could make significant contributions to science and technology. The time now is one of connection and collaboration. we are in 2015. not 1900. All the simple problems have been solved. what remains now are mindbending difficulties. such as the workings of the brain, room temperature superconduction, quantum computing, reversing aging, artificial intelligence, and how to create and manipulate life itself.
the time has come where problems are being solved by huge farm sized computers. not by humans on blackboards. we are entering the era of molecular computing. where fields merge. chemistry and physics combine with computer engineers and scientists. before, we had the CPU. now we have the GPU and HPU in addition. and now we've got silicon photonics. where three entire fields merge.
one person cannot do all these. you need teams. and funding. you need marketing, you need advertisers, deceivers. don't worry. we already have all of these people. the last step is, in bold. Fusion of dreams, and talents.
don't you think it's quite embarrassing that out of the top 500 fastest computers in the world, not a single one is in Nigeria? and we can easily build one. these stubborn people JUST won't work together!

We sure are!
I remember writing this. This is my vision for Nigeria suppose the country does not split with the way things are going.

The bolded, who are the people?