Rocky, bumpy road of
unsung scientific genius
By Jossy Idam (Jidam14@yahoo.com)
Saturday, July 28, 2007
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•Some
of Damian’s other inventions
•Photo: Sun News Publishing
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The man, Damian Ikechukwu Anyanwu did not just amble through
a crystal stair to success and fame. His early life was dotted
by frustration and bureaucracy. But for these logjams, Damian
would have actualized his dreams and the country would have
long benefited from his array of inventions.
Quitting school
Born on January 21, 1957, he attended and completed his primary
school at St. Mary’s primary school, UmuOkpara, Nguru,
Imo state. Soon after, he was admitted into Emmanuel College,
Owerri. He stayed there up to class four and dropped out.
"Not that I wasn’t brilliant or interested in going
to the university. The real reason is that I developed a lot
of skills and interest in science and technology. I longed
to practically do the things I wanted," he said.
When he was younger, he even used to fiddle with empty milk
and tomato cans to make microphones.
Fame in Biafra
When hostilities raged during the country’s civil war
and essential commodities became scarce in Biafra, Damian,
then a little boy used to recycle dead batteries and sell.
He made a pile of Biafra shilling from it. Adults found his
special batteries useful for their radios and torchlights.
All in the family
He told Saturday Sun he got his
inspiration from his grand father who was a famous herbalist.
Though he didn’t meet or know the man personally, stories
had it that the man did wonders with herbs. Young Damian felt
challenged and decided to start where his grand father stopped.
"That’s how I began using herbs in producing electronic
component like resistors and other important components used
in radio and television," he revealed.
Eureka
Untaughtß, Damian gabbled up wires and herbs in his
10 by 12 size room and began transmitting and operating a
radio station which he called "Radio Mbaise." His
transmission was received across the country. His little room
and quasi radio station soon became a curiosity site. Among
the people who thronged there were top government functionaries
and academics. His invention culminated to his being honoured
with a national award by the then president of the country.
A professor and head of Physics department of University of
Nigeria, Nsukka at the time, Alexandaer Animalu went to Mbaise,
made Damian an offer and took him to the University’s
Energy Laboratory as Research Officer. While there, Damian
carried on with his research projects and even invented television
transmitters using dry cell batteries. Looking back now, Damian
said: "In the university, I tried to prove that university
education is good but you’ve got to put some practical
orientation. That way, on graduation, a graduate won’t
be unemployed."
Cutting out
Placed on the same salary level as a graduate, Damian was
happy for a brief spell. Without a research grant, the young
man used his salary to fund his research and inventions. Upset
with the system, he walked out of the cozy university environment
and went back to his village.
Governor Mbakwe to the rescue
The helmsman of his state then, Governor Sam Mbakwe reached
out to him and created a unit for him in the state Ministry
of Science and Technology. Again, he stayed for a while and
found himself bogged down by the bureaucracy of the ministry."
What happened at Nsukka repeated itself. The big boys there
were interested in the money. Frustration was coming again
and I said ‘No, No this is another university of Nigeria
Nsukka.’ I had to run out of the place fast," he
said.
School proprietor
Damian’s experience with the establishment made him
resolve to take his destiny in his own hands. To follow his
heart and head, he founded Ikeli Institute of Technology.
The school’s name was distilled from his middle name,
Ikechukwu. The school took off in a small building he rented
in his village with 200 students.
According to him, fliers with the details of the school’s
entrance examination were sent to all the states of the federation.
On the D-day, over 10,000 candidates showed up. The examination
was partly conducted under a tree because of limited accommodation.
For the same reason also, only the first 200 successful students
in the examination were admitted. Others were kept on a "waiting
list."
Selfless teachers and staff
With an overdose of optimism and little or no money to run
the school, Damian turned to selfless volunteer teachers for
help. Those who held the forte for him include: Rev Dr Charles
Ohaeri, a Catholic priest who used to work at NTA, Enugu,
Engineer Joseph Okafor , an electrical engineer who daily
drove to the school from Uguta, Grace Igwe, a teacher who
returned from Bulgaria and threw in her lot with the school.
Till date, Damian hasn’t forgotten Thomas Ndukwe, a
dependable cleaner who used to come to work on bicycle from
Mbano to Mbaise everyday without failing.
Ikeli’s tearful end
After three years, it dawned on Damian he had to let go of
the school. There were glaring needs he could not meet. In
1996, he graduated his first set of students. Crippled by
financial constraint, he wound up the school with tears streaming
dowing his face and the faces of his staff who believed in
the project." The financial burden was too much. Government
officials visited regularly but offered no help. They only
said ‘congratulations’, shaked my hand and left.
In fact, I think they saw me as a threat and enemy. They only
tried to be nice to me," he said, frowning.
Bold statement
Though Damian’s school project foundered, he used it
to boldly tell the country’s policy makers that a graduate
should be able to offer service to his community. And our
schools should be job- orientated. Now, after a graduation,
NYSC and all that, most graduates end up as okada riders.
Why should that be so? " He asked, frowning in disgust.
Inventors and manufacturer
Damian didn’t die with the project. He pulled himself
together again and moved on. He
began mass producing and marketing his inventions. His public
address system and ethanol which he produced with 100 local
raw materials were sold across the country.
His public address system was exceptionally good. In Alaba
International market, the product was even sold double the
prize of the conventional ones. At a time, he couldn’t
meet up with the demand for it.
Bailing out
In those dreary years of his life, successive Ministers of
Science and Technolgy kept in touch with him but could not
help him to actualize his dreams. "They used to invite
me around and only promised to do this and that for me",
he recalled.
It was in the course of such visits that a personal assistant
to one of the Science and Technology Ministers in 1998 gave
him a letter to someone in the US embassy in Lagos. He told
Saturday Sun, the minister’s aide just gave him the
letter to help him dispatch without even telling him it was
about him. "I thought I was only helping him until I
handed the letter over to the man at the embassy. He asked
me for my passport, I went and brought it and was given visa
to America immediately.
Home call
The rest is history. Damian is now an America citizen. He
left these shores with 15 inventions and now has much more.
Asked the number of inventions, the CEO of Sun Power Technology
laughed, saying: "In my field, one thing usually leads
to another".
Though things are now rossy for him, he can’t resist
an inner prompting urging him to come and help his homeland,
the continent and the world at large. "I am now 50. And
I think it’s about time I began pushing out what I have
for the benefit of our people here and mankind in general,"
he said.
Practical Book
Desirous of popularizing his ideas and inventions, he is now
putting finishing touches to a 600-page practical book. Aptly
titled Industrial Revolution for Third World Countries, he
hopes to present it to the public next year.
Wooed by President Kerekou
A few years back, the former president of Benin Republic Matthew
Kerekou invited him to Cotonou and showered him with praises
after watching the demonstration of some of his inventions.
"President Kerekou called me a true son of the African
continent and begged me to relocate to his country",
he said.
Fela’s guest
When Damian left UNN, a certain professor publicly vilified
him for leaving. Then Afro beat exponent, Fela heard of the
professor’s tirade and characteristically rose in defense
of Damian and asked "why should an institution go to
another institutions?" To him, Damian was an authority
in his chosen field and had no business going to any university.
Fela later sent him a flight ticket and invited him to the
Shrine. "Fela was two much. He hosted me at the Shrine
and praised me to high heavens," he recalled with nostalgia.
Still brimming with new ideas, when this father of six is
not engrossed in his practical research works, he under takes
a tour of American universities, lecturing and demonstrating
his inventions.
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