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Boy, 16, invents chain car,
storms new Yam fiesta
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Wednesday, September 16,
2009
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• Master Sunday
driving the car
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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Since last year, 16-year-old Sunday Nnebedum has been adding colour
and glamour to the annual new yam festival celebration of his people
in Ezihe Igboukwu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Last year, the little lad showcased a prototype house at the festival
and this year he built a prototype car, which has now informed his
decision to go into car manufacturing in future.
And seriously, Nnebedum is leaving no stone unturned in his bid
to achieve this nuturing as he had exhibited the talent of creativity
and awaits the brushing up of the talent with education and training.
The young Nnebedum who will enter JSS3 when the schools resume later
this month is a student of Christ the King Secondary School, Igboukwu.
Indeed, his prototype automobile was a cynosure of all eyes at the
2009 National Iwa Ji Celebration held at National Yam House, Igboukwu
on Saturday, August 29, 2009, as he drove it round the arena.
The pseudo vehicle which he told Daily Sun is a Mercedes Benz is
powered manually with bicycle-like chains though it has a steering,
brake pedal and electrical components as in a real vehicle.
The young boy, who said he produced a beautiful prototype house
at last year’s yam festival, narrated how the idea of building
the automobile came to him and how he actualized it.
Building of the motor
According to him, they were taught in school the use of gear and
chains and after the lesson, he had a sleepless night thinking of
what to make out of that lecture.
“When I came back from school after we were taught of the
use of chain and gear, I took a good look at the bicycle in our
house, and was imagining how the Oyibo (white) people made it.
“After a long look and study of the bicycle, especially how
the chain propels it to move, I decided that I will build a motor
(automobile) that will be propelled by chains or if you like call
it a ‘bicycle motor’”.
Having taken the decision, Sunday said he immediately started sketching
what was going on in his head on a paper and after the drawing,
he did a skeleton-sort of the object like the way baskets are made.
“Then, I showed it to my parents and told them what I wanted
to do.
They encouraged me and gave me some woods and tapauline and I moved
into action to construct the motor. After the wood work, I took
it to the welder who built the chain area for me after I had told
him what I wanted and how he should do it.
“After that was constructed, that includes the steering, dashboard
and doors; I went back to the drawing board and drew the electrical
part of it. That is how the wire will run, the positioning of the
lights (headlamps, trafficators, brake lights, their switches on
the dashboard and even the radio), the music you are listening to
is from the motor.
“So, after wiring and placing the lights, I used aluminum
paint to paint it and later I sprayed it and that is what you are
seeing now; I hope it’s fine?”
Parents’ contributions
Sunday noted that his parents, Mr and Mrs Chukwuma Nnebedum were
helpful in his production.
“My parents were very pleased with me and they encouraged
me to continue. They gave me the whole money I used in building
this, that is over N19, 000.”
Previous work and unfulfilled promise
Last year’s yam festival, if you were here, I am the boy who
built house (prototype). That last year, they promised to give me
scholarship, but up till now, nobody gave me anything.
This motor, now I took it to the Igwe’s palace the day he
held his new yam festival and he promised to give me N50, 000 and
said that I should bring it today, August 29, 2009 for the world
to see and for him to fulfill the promise, so I am here and waiting.
Ambition
The 16-year-old boy told Daily Sun that his ambition is to acquire
good education and to be trained to be able to manufacture automobile.
“I want the government and well meaning people to come to
my aid, so that I can get quality education and be well trained
as an engineer to bring my vision of building a real car to reality”.
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