Aba ingenuity
•People’s creativity rebuilds banned okada in Aba to tricycles
By IKENNA EMEWU (ikenna@sunnewsonline.com)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
•Goods only
PHOTO: THE SUN PUBLISHING
Living index

In Aba, there is a revolution taking place since the state government banned okada (commercial motorcycle) operations.

The fear and anticipation was that the economy of the commercial centre would crumble after the ban. There were other fears on the rise of crime rate as the okada riders who are in thousands would lose means of livelihood and may try their hands on unlawful options to fix the ends.

At the first strike, Aba was jolted, destabilized, harangued and shaken to the roots because apart from the income commercial motorcycle operation fetches, the city had no alternative mobility means. It was chaos finding way round the city.

But Aba had survived greater hardships and still remained afloat. Eighty years ago, the women of Aba, a vibrant and ebullient city replete and bursting at the seams with talents as vast as the terrain and population staged protest against the colonial masters over tax. That landmark action remains evergreen in the history of class struggle in Nigeria. In the 70s, the central market in Aba – Eke Oha was reduced to ashes. Aba survived it and from that ash raised another market at Ariaria.
Having been familiar with jolts, Aba never allowed the latest to dampen her moral. It was just few weeks before the people came up with a way round the okada clampdown.

The clincher that pulled Aba out of the okada crisis was the simple ingenious mind of a humble welder at No. 98, Ibadan Street off Obohia Road who ekes out a living from joining iron to iron to fabricate materials whenever PHCN permits him.

Joseph Awa Agu, the lanky, skinny welder from Abia State who plies his trade in the big city did some introspection one day after looking at his motorbike and asked himself a question. That single question and the answer he fathomed out of it became a spark that later got kindled to a flame of redemptive creativity. It threw the economy of the city back to life. The idle hands that had lost hope after losing the streets to an okada-free policy all bounced back in a matter of weeks. Once again, the city bubbled with life.

Joseph, the creative man from Ugwueke in Bende LGA of the state may not appear to you as smart, but inside he really could pass for one. His emaciated looks could just be as a result of economic buffeting the hazards of the society subject him to. From his creation that pulled Aba back from the edge of the canyon, his mind is sure far richer than his looks.

He reasoned that he could convert his motorcycle to a tricycle by simply sawing off the back end, essentially the trye and its attachments, attaching a pair of tyres to it through some metal network to organize the two ends into one piece of rough-edged work. He immediately implemented the turmoil in his mind and resolved the crisis in Aba. After the initial welding work, it occurred to him to separate the chain link between the engine at the front end into two parts – each holding the new improvised tyres at the back to the engine. By the time he got his thinking into concrete reality, Joseph drove into town with his new invention. That ignited the thoughts of others on the way round the okada ban palaver. And Aba got kicking once again.

Other bike owners who had discarded and dumped them at home to rot for good pulled them out of the dumpsite and inundated Joseph with requested to have them converted like he did his. They so gave him a run that other welders had to tap into his creation and open their flanks for the same job. It was just a matter of weeks before all grounded okada in Aba lost their rears to have an attached pair of tyres to make them tricycles which the law in the city welcomes with open hands. A little after, the city came back with ample mobility means and jobs for hitherto idle hands. That way Aba survived again another economic onslaught like it ever did in the past.

But Joseph is an unsung hero, still whittling pieces of scrap metals into all manner of tools and equipment on any day the electricity supply people look kindly on his street or any day his weather-beaten and oil-soaked 1960 model of mini Lister generator permits to steam.
Joseph may not have climbed higher on the economic ladder through this invention, but he surely manufactured the ladder that helped Aba to climb.
When Saturday Sun visited his workshop, Joseph still had a tricycle in his mould about to be released to the client for operation.

When the work on the new frame is complete, the tricycle leaves the welders’ place and gets to another workshop where it would be draped in yellow tarpaulin cut to shape to cover the roof and sides as shelter from the weather. That way the cycle provides the passengers the comfort shielding them from rain and sun. Another trades man also takes his turn fits the creation with cushiony seats for the passengers’ comfort. When all these are done, the bike is ready for the streets and can take as many as four to five passengers per time.

Joseph gave tips into the mechanical advantages of his creation and boasted that if the client so wishes, after fixing the body of the cycle, he can further build it to have reverse gear like a car. He also explained that the bike has mobility advantage over the foreign one commonly called Keke NAPEP because of its higher tyres that enables it to pass through rough terrains with ease.
Regarding cost, the invention is a bigger advantage.

Whereas the NAPEP brand of keke (tricycle) costs between N350,000 and N400,000 to procure, it would take just about N60,000 to buy a motorcycle and another N60,000 to build the body into a functional tricycle ready for use.

Moreso, the local welders are at leisure to convert the bikes into multiple usage. Some are built into passenger buggies while those that use theirs for conveying goods for traders prefer to have theirs with open body to have enough room for loads.

No doubt, the streets of Aba are already brimming with this creation, which finds use in several ways. As you stand by the streets, you see so many of them drive around offering services to people.
So far, Aba has not lost sleep over the okada ban as the creativity has turned the seeming misfortune around for a bumper harvest.

Igbo people 2 mush

C'mon, they only used their common sense, which every tribe in Nigeria has in ample supply!
I wonder where pple got the idea that igbo peeps are the smartest of nigerians?

This is impressive. . .

ah ah ive never seen anything like it before



imagine 3000 of these on the road

lol

ingenuity!!! what we need in this country. imagine with 120k you have something better than the keke napep, and still create jobs, i salute you my brothers nwa aba you are the true nigerians.

donjon:

C'mon, they only used their common sense, which every tribe in Nigeria has in ample supply!
I wonder where pple got the idea that igbo peeps are the smartest of nigerians?

The ingenuity of the Igbo man has never been in doubt. Little wonder they have always been in the forefront of all inventions in Nigeria. This same ban on okada riders was implemented in Calabar and while the Igbo man thought of and came out with a solution to his problem, the Calabar okada men took to the streets destroying and looting public property.

The day the Igbo man is allowed to manage the affairs of this country will be the day that this country will be freed from the shackles that have held us down for so long and hence take its rightful place in the comity of Nations.

Aba i hail una well well.continue the good work for one day the political climate will change and nigeria shall surely be better.Abia governor should please give the city a facelift.

necessity is the mother of invention

LouisUlo:

These people are f king criminals from birth. They must break the law. Creativity? Ingenuity? RUBBISH! This is a blatant display of criminal thinking. They will do everything to avoid the law of the land. How safe are these bullpoop structures?

''A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step''.Dont under rate this little achievement

[img]https://www.nairaland.com/attachments/204463_Aba-tricycle_gifae567dec50b533b37acbec9bb1639c11
[/img]
This and not 419 is why they hate Nigerians.




[b]Absolutely brilliant.  They should be encouraged. And as for deriding this thing and calling the creators criminals, young Nigerians have to be aware of one or two things.

Here they are:

Derisions of black people, their culture, their ways and the criticisms implicit within racists’ notion of them, are tools of foreign capitalism. Foreign capitalists – for want of a better term – use these stereotyping to turn blacks into consumers.  A simple example, when the criticisms and derisions make you turn your back on Nigerian attire, you abandon those clothes and buy western clothes. In one fell swoop you deprive the Nigerian/African producers, manufactures of your clothes, and empower the Asians and European ones.  Similarly, the economic propaganda that makes you hate your hair and skin colour turns you into a consumer of cosmetics produced by foreigners.

Some might argue that this economic aspect is just a coincidently by-product of the ‘isms but I don’t think so. 



 

Actually as a kid in Nigeria it used to amaze me that those okada  riders did not see the potential of tricyclising their motorbikes and building frames around them for grater passenger capacity. I was 16 years old and later, me an my elder brothers knocked up a crude model. The vehicle we produced was only a mock-up because the motor bike we got our hands on was not running in the first place. Our idea had been to go into manufacturing but our parents weren’t into entrepreneurship but wanted us to be doctors and lawyers. They refused to help financially.[/b]

Igbo kwenu, Fake people with fake brain

am impressed, remember when india started TATA. everybody condemned that product, today, tata has gotten market in some of the G20 countries. one day the Aba pple will take us there technology wise

~Bluetooth:

Igbo kwenu, Fake people with fake brain

You will continue to be second place.

LouisUlo:

These people are f king criminals from birth. They must break the law. Creativity? Ingenuity? RUBBISH! This is a blatant display of criminal thinking. They will do everything to avoid the law of the land. How safe are these bullpoop structures?

stop fuming in the face,I know U find it very hard to accept the fact that even ppl who ve not gone beyond pry6 re way better and smarter than U. . . .U will only give Urself hypertension. . . .just take it easy with the hating b4 U burst a red blood cell in Ur rage. . . .These Guyz are Geniuses accept that painful fact.

hehehehehe. . . . . thats why I love Igbo people.

An Igbo primary or secondary school certificate holder (like this man) is more intelligent and creative than a Yoruba professor. Show me one functional product thought out and designed/modified by a Yoruba prof, not to talk of primary school certificate holder. Na so so fraud and stealing na him una sabi.

~Bluetooth:

Igbo kwenu, Fake people with fake brain

NAWIRIWEDE: I am sure you will not go into the new year with mischief.

@ topic
smart idea.
its better, so now they wont be weaving through traffic but waiting in line like everyone else.
hopefully this will reduce okada accidents.
hmmmm, only time will tell.

Tricycles is even worst!!!
The whole city would begin to look like
a village of only toddlers. Unfortunately
that's Aba for you.

mama-gee:

Tricycles is even worst!!!
The whole city would begin to look like
a village of only toddlers. Unfortunately
that's Aba for you.

LMFAO!! that made me burst out laughing!!

lol creativity abi creativity. man must chop abi??

donjon:

C'mon, they only used their common sense, which every tribe in Nigeria has in ample supply!
I wonder where pple got the idea that igbo peeps are the smartest of nigerians?

I wish to borrow your words sir. The Igbo man used the common sense he has, the other tribes are their waiting politicians to provide new jobs for them.
Nevertheless, I second mekusxxx quote

mekusxxx:

Igbo people 2 mush

The truth we can only survive on the formless substance called thinking.

Btw, what are they going to call this new contraption?


Do these guys have the correct papers?

B'cos i know aba police will soon start arresting these smart alecs for using motorcycle licence papers on a tricycle!

Instead of people hating on people's creativity they should proffer solutions that would encourage these aba people.

Criticism is the key to perferction!
If pple dont hate, how will they improve?

donjon:

Criticism is the key to perferction!
If pple dont hate, how will they improve?

Criticism=Hate?

Up Aba,

This is more confirmation that Igbos are jews.

banom:

Up Aba,

This is more confirmation that Igbos are jews.

Enough of these ideas of Igbos being jews.

Igbos are Igbos, Jews are jews!