From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maoduguri
An almajiri who fabricated a hand tractor in Borno State, has received N5 million from Gov Babagana Zulum as incentive to encourage creativity.
Twenty-five years old Laminu Mohammed, a Koranic student (Tsangaya) from Gubio Local Government, used scraps from water pumping machine and engine to construct a plough which works like a tractor usually push with hands.
Checks show that the creative Laminu has never attended any formal school or skill acquisition training.
Zulum said the N5 million was meant to support the innovative skills of the talented young man and encourage such innovations by the youths.
“The amount is aimed to inspire the ‘unschooled engineer’ to produce more ploughs and possibly, other agricultural machineries that can serve farmers in Borno,” Zulun spokesman, Isa Gusau said in a statement on Thursday.
The governor had invited the young man after receiving brief on his creativity, and listened to Laminu’s technical presentation.
He said Zulum, a professor of irrigation farming, was impressed by Laminu’s creative ingenuity.
He explained that ploughs usually attached to tractors and other means of transport, are used in making rigs for planting. They can also be manually dragged in farmlands, he added.
Laminu became the second youth to receive Gov Zulum’s support for skills and creativity in recent tome. A 13-year-old primary school pupil received similar gesture two weeks ago.