A 28-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Shehu Saleh Balami has launched a solid-fuel rocket in Kaduna.
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday in Kaduna, Balami said he took interest in rockets when he was a kid.

He said he was able to invent the solid-fuel rocket with support from friends under the aegis of Movement for the Propagation of Science and Technology in Nigeria, adding that he has also started research on how to make a remote controlled aircraft, a project he intends to embark on shortly.

According to him, he produced the two rockets with 100 per cent local content at an approximate cost of N30, 000 each.

He lamented that Nigeria after 50 years of independence still relies on advanced countries for satellite due to lack of conducive atmosphere for indigenous talented inventors to strive. Balami said there was a need for the Federal Government to provide an enabling environment for science and technology inventors in the country if it wishes to attain the desired Vision 20:2020.

“If the government pays attention to local science and technology inventors and support them financially, I believe very strongly that one day, we will be able to build our own satellite or the engine that will take the satellite into space,” he said.
http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13159:engineer-launches-rocket-in-kaduna&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

Good that he's interested in science and arguing for its promotion in Nigeria, but I need to know the scale of the rocket before I'm impressed.

nice one!

Federal ministry of parastatals needs to be dismantled with immediate effect. This is what we need to use our money to fund . . , helping our people learn what they are really interested in and that will benefit them the most in all this.

this is just the beginning of progress in nigeria just shows how reasourceful we all are

chei naija. we see little of these inventions now and then so the very quack ones like this are praised highly. But rockets for what? just rockets.

Well done to the guy! Rocketry is a very dangerous pursuit and Shehu Saleh Balami has demonstrated beyond doubt that he has the strength of mind to pursue his dreams.
We can only pray that "fellow" Nigerians do not line up to frustrate him with their "clever" talk and their pull down syndrome,

babaearly:

chei naija. we see little of these inventions now and then so the very quack ones like this are praised highly. But rockets for what? just rockets. 

Na im private project   . . .  your government dey there dey spend billions of naira to create address books, time checkers, hoes, manual brick machine etc. Come dey tell us say na those kin things go help put naija for global map. ROFLMAO~!!!

Abeg go mind wetin Jonathan dey spend our billion billions on, mr man . . . .

@kobojunkie

i lff you. you dey clap your hand until that kind rocket fall ontop your brother house for naija na him you go know. Boko haram is showing you their exploits behind the glass you are here salivating.

Kobojunkie:

Na im private project   . . .  your government dey there dey spend billions of naira to create address books, time checkers, hoes, manual brick machine etc. Come dey tell us say na those kin things go help put naija for global map. ROFLMAO~!!!

Abeg go mind wetin Jonathan dey spend our billion billions on, mr man . . . .

For the first time ever I'm going to have to completely cosign Kobojunkie.

It's even ironic that the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, happens to be a Northerner, and all this ambition and scientific potential is rotting in the North while he approves government funded projects to develop time management systems and brick making machines.

Alj Uche:

this is just the beginning of progress in nigeria  just shows how reasourceful we all are

I have to agree. The day an aboki lifts a pen, Nigeria be blessed!!

I can finally say Nigeria may have the chance of being one ff the Northerners continues preying on Education like this. Whoooooot whoooot!! I love this thread!

Not too stunning an achievement but it's a good start.
Thank God the papers didn't start calling in an 'invention'.

PhysicsMHD:


For the first time ever I'm going to have to completely cosign Kobojunkie.

It's even ironic that the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, happens to be a Northerner, and all this ambition and scientific potential is rotting in the North while he approves government funded projects to develop time management systems and brick making machines.

Dude, those things could hold novel ideas and inventions. It doesn't matter if they perform mundane tasks, afterall there are patents for blenders to grind pepper, or is the difference just that the "time management systems and brick making machines" you mentioned are Nigerian, instead of foreign?

In the meantime, the rockets in this topic might not have a single piece of novel technology in them. My take is that we encourage all science an tech in the country, so long as it will create jobs and make life easier. Thats how other nations develop.

texazzpete:

Not too stunning an achievement but it's a good start.
Thank God the papers didn't start calling in an 'invention'.

He said he was able to invent the solid-fuel rocket with support from friends

http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13159:engineer-launches-rocket-in-kaduna&catid=1:news&Itemid=2


(edit: Then again, maybe he did actually originate his own design and engine; though definitely not a whole new invention, it could be something partially original)

Beaf:

Dude, those things could hold novel ideas and inventions. It doesn't matter if they perform mundane tasks, afterall there are patents for blenders to grind pepper, or is the difference just that the "time management systems and brick making machines" you mentioned are Nigerian, instead of foreign?

In the meantime, the rockets in this topic might not have a single piece of novel technology in them. My take is that we encourage all science an tech in the country, so long as it will create jobs and make life easier. Thats how other nations develop.

Time management system?

I know Nigerians have problems with time management, but I think we should fix that through discipline, not using money that could used on better things.


As for brick making machines, do they really need to go and fund research to develop new brick making machines? It seems like reinventing the wheel for no purpose other than to say that you reinvented the wheel.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1977-09-01/Manual-Brickmaking-Machine.aspx
http://www.google.com/images?q=brick+making+machine&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2s9uTafLCdHTgQed6aky&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1680&bih=857

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxFtela_lXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQm3bkNaj3I
http://www.globalsources.com/manufacturers/Brick-Making-Machine.html
http://www.rictec.com.sg/brick/

etc. etc. . . .

Did he get the technology from Hamas?

PhysicsMHD:

Time management system?

I know Nigerians have problems with time management, but I think we should fix that through discipline, not using money that could used on better things.


As for brick making machines, do they really need to go and fund research to develop new brick making machines? It seems like reinventing the wheel for no purpose other than to say that you reinvented the wheel.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1977-09-01/Manual-Brickmaking-Machine.aspx
http://www.google.com/images?q=brick+making+machine&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2s9uTafLCdHTgQed6aky&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=1680&bih=857

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxFtela_lXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQm3bkNaj3I
http://www.globalsources.com/manufacturers/Brick-Making-Machine.html
http://www.rictec.com.sg/brick/

etc. etc. . . .

Time management systems are Example Projects most every other Computer science student creates in the first or second year of school. Plus, if you type  'FREE Time management' system into google, you will get at least 20,000 legit entries that you can download and use for yourself. I no know how government go then spend our money to develop wetin dey boku online, come dey tell us say im go put us on global  map . . . that there is just DISTURBED reasoning  . . . lol

Also, since we are still spending money to invent MANUAL brick making machines, wait till we get the announcement that we have re-invented the Abacus, and maybe polyester next . ROFLMAO!!

PhysicsMHD:

Time management system?

I know Nigerians have problems with time management, but I think we should fix that through discipline, not using money that could used on better things.

As for brick making machines, do they really need to go and fund research to develop new brick making machines? It seems like reinventing the wheel for no purpose other than to say that you reinvented the wheel.

. . .

You don't seem to have a clue about inventions and creativity. I am 100% certain that the trainers you are wearing are covered by several patents, same goes for flatscreen TV (which to you, is re-inventing the wheel, cos cathode ray tubes existed).
Your excuse for pointing fingers is weak and painful. Why do you think new time management systems and brick making technologies cannot be invented. We are our own enemy as far as development is concerned, we tear anybody in sight with ideas into little pieces. Its really wrong.

Beaf:

You don't seem to have a clue about inventions and creativity. I am 100% certain that the trainers you are wearing are covered by several patents, same goes for flatscreen TV (which to you, is re-inventing the wheel, cos cathode ray tubes existed).
Your excuse for pointing fingers is weak and painful. Why do you think new time management systems and brick making technologies cannot be invented. We are our own enemy as far as development is concerned, we tear anybody in sight with ideas into little pieces. Its really wrong.

I don't think you really understood my complaint. I'm not concerned with how many patents Nigerian government employees are able to rack up. I'm interested in significant results and outcomes for money spent.


For every invention, there is an end effect or result.

The end results of any time management system and any brick making machine are adequately covered by existing technology. Thus any progress in these areas which is not revolutionary, will be relatively insignificant, after all that money is spent.

Therefore it makes sense to fund more worthwhile projects, rather than remake existing technology.

This is just about optimization.

^
Would your mind change if the time management system implemented RFID? Or AI? Or some other zany technology, maybe something that hasn't even been thought of previously?
I wouldn't smirk at anything until I've seen it and its been explained to me.

If it did use some "zany" technology, but didn't have a significant impact on Nigeria and Nigerians after all the money was spent to incorporate/develop/utilize that technology, I would be against the government directly funding it through government agencies and parastatals instead of something like an open competition from all actual and potential researchers in Nigeria. Nigeria has manufacturing engineers right? Engineering profs with Ph.Ds (or even just master's) in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing, right? So who's to say that the particular govt individuals at those agencies are the people to come up with that revolutionary use of some "zany" technology (like some new method of nanoassembly) that could make revolutionary improvements to brick making, rather than the rest of the academic community of Nigeria? The same thing applies to the time management system with regard to electrical engineers, computer scientists, etc.

Ileke-IdI:

I have to agree. The day an aboki lifts a pen, Nigeria be blessed!!

I can finally say Nigeria may have the chance of being one ff the Northerners continues preying on Education like this. Whoooooot whoooot!! I love this thread!

believe me when i say na you way mata for my life

Obiagu1:

Did he get the technology from Hamas?

ewu, how does this relate to the thread

PhysicsMHD:

If it did use some "zany" technology, but didn't have a significant impact on Nigeria and Nigerians after all the money was spent to incorporate/develop/utilize that technology, I would be against the government directly funding it through government agencies and parastatals instead of something like an open competition from all actual and potential researchers in Nigeria. Nigeria has manufacturing engineers right? Engineering profs with Ph.Ds (or even just master's) in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing, right? So who's to say that the particular govt individuals at those agencies are the people to come up with that revolutionary use of some "zany" technology (like some new method of nanoassembly) that could make revolutionary improvements to brick making, rather than the rest of the academic community of Nigeria? The same thing applies to the time management system with regard to electrical engineers, computer scientists, etc.

The technology you are mocking came out of our research institutes. And guess who mans those places? Its "manufacturing engineers right? Engineering profs with Ph.Ds (or even just master's) in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing," so they know what they are doing.
You might not know just how much our technology institutes have influenced the small scale business World in Nigeria; dude, there are people who go there to license tech for all sorts of purposes.

In addition to the above, I must say that your argument is now wavering, cos the items that were announced for promotion didn't come from the public (whom you would like to see paid more attention), they came from research institutes, therefore funding for them could only go to the research institutes and not some random member of the public. If you think more needs to be done to make science an tech more attractive, lower the entry points, provide incentives to the private sector etc; thats all vaild, but no reason to mock technology without knowing the full details.

Poor Journalism at work again , The article did not specify the capabilities of his rocket , e.g constituent of the solid propellant used, altitude his rocket attained, launch sequence and technique etc , We end up with an article that tells us a Kaduna man launched a rocket and did not tell us what makes this worth reporting as rocketry is older than the new testament , Infact fireworks rockets we play with are solid propellant rockets too . So what exactly are we clebrating here

^^^

Good observation

I bet you what the guy launched is a kite, not a rocket.

I also am willing to bet it that the journalist is female. She is just in awe of the Mech Eng student. Nothing more, nothing less. Stupid Nigerian journalists

Pretty cool.

Beaf:

The technology you are mocking came out of our research institutes. And guess who mans those places? Its "manufacturing engineers right? Engineering profs with Ph.Ds (or even just master's) in mechanical engineering with a focus on manufacturing," so they know what they are doing.
You might not know just how much our technology institutes have influenced the small scale business World in Nigeria; dude, there are people who go there to license tech for all sorts of purposes.

In addition to the above, I must say that your argument is now wavering, cos the items that were announced for promotion didn't come from the public (whom you would like to see paid more attention), they came from research institutes, therefore funding for them could only go to the research institutes and not some random member of the public. If you think more needs to be done to make science an tech more attractive, lower the entry points, provide incentives to the private sector etc; thats all vaild, but no reason to mock technology without knowing the full details.

I didn't say funding could go to random members of the public.

I wasn't clear, so let me make it clearer. You have an engineering department at a top Nigerian university. The engineering profs there write articles. The articles get published. They go to conferences and present papers. They plan the curricula, they review articles, they lecture, they guzzle coffee, they do academic stuff, etc. etc., but they could also receive funding from the government to research specific areas (they could get large grants) that the government thought were worthy of focus. Why do I suggest that this wider academic community is who the government should include, rather than just those engineers who have applied to and gotten jobs at government research institutes? Because in general, those guys at top universities in a country tend to be unusually bright. This is done in the U.S. with regard to certain areas, such as nuclear energy research.

PhysicsMHD:


I didn't say funding could go to random members of the public.

I wasn't clear, so let me make it clearer. You have an engineering department at a top Nigerian university. The engineering profs there write articles. The articles get published. They go to conferences and present papers. They plan the curricula, they review articles, they lecture, they guzzle coffee, they do academic stuff, etc. etc., but they could also receive funding from the government to research specific areas (they could get large grants) that the government thought were worthy of focus. Why do I suggest that this wider academic community is who the government should include, rather than just those engineers who have applied to and gotten jobs at government research institutes? Because in general, those guys at top universities in a country tend to be unusually bright. This is done in the U.S. with regard to certain areas, such as nuclear energy research.

Thats another matter entirely and a valid concern indeed. I recall a friend that returned to Nigeria all starry eyed from Europe to do his bit for our development by working in a uni and burying himself in research. Mistake!
This guy is a genius, but by the time the Nigerian system had dealt had dealt him some manful blows, he scuttled off back to Europe, broke as a church rat, career saved only by his brains. We warned him against returning, but poor thing never understood; sometimes intelligence is an impediment.

That said, govt is looking at exactly what you've said above and working toward setting 1% of our GDP aside for Research and Development (public and private sector). Hopefully it will come to fruition, the story is here:
http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/3225-fg-to-set-aside-one-per-cent-of-gdp-for-research

They'll certainly need to do more than 1%.

It is very good that the government is moving in that direction though, I have to admit. Previous governments certainly never even thought about it.

PhysicsMHD:

They'll certainly need to do more than 1%.

It is very good that the government is moving in that direction though, I have to admit. Previous governments certainly never even thought about it.

Not entirely true. The Yar adua administration, as well as the Obasanjo administration made us similar promises, and I believe this same ministry also produced similar list of doohickeys back then too. I believe it was on Obasanjo's watch that we got stories of Nigeria getting it's own satellite monitoring system etc.

Kobojunkie:

Not entirely true. The Yar adua administration, as well as the Obasanjo administration made us similar promises. I believe it was on Obasanjo's watch that we got stories of Nigeria getting it's own satellite monitoring system etc.

Don't give us any of these brain-dead interjections you made up entirely in your own head.
Quotations and links are in order here, or we treat this as another attempt to start a rumour.

texazzpete:

Not too stunning an achievement but it's a good start.
Thank God the papers didn't start calling in an 'invention'.

ROFLMAO!!!
good one!!!