How I started producing mowers – Undergraduate

• Rice harvester in the pipeline   For Martins Dyondun Mtom (35), a Tiv native from Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, the idea to produce mowers came naturally to him when he had to prepare a project during his school days. Master Mtom wanted to make life easier for labourers and gardeners using […]

• Rice harvester in the pipeline

 

For Martins Dyondun Mtom (35), a Tiv native from Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, the idea to produce mowers came naturally to him when he had to prepare a project during his school days.

Master Mtom wanted to make life easier for labourers and gardeners using affordable locally sourced materials to produce the mowing machine for clearing grasses around homes, schools, farms, among others.

He said, “I came about the idea when I was to present a project at my former school, the Benue State Polytechnic in Ugbokolo. I produced the first one as a project and submitted it to the school.”

But, rather than allow the idea remain at the level of school project, the young entrepreneur, after obtaining a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the polytechnic went further to commercialise his product.

Presently studying Aircraft Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Kaduna State, the 300-level HND student has stuck to his dream of making mowers available to customers.

He said the mowing machine could be used conveniently in clearing bushes around gardens and farms without stress.

According to the bachelor, “I started production over three years ago commercially. When I started producing it (machine) in 2018, the cost of construction was between N25,000 and N30,000.

“But now the rise in the prices of the materials has affected the cost of production. So, currently it can be produced for between N45,000 and N50,000.

“The major challenge I now face is finance for the mass production of the machine; which is portable and easy to maintain and consumes less fuel.”

He further said, “I want to go far with the machine construction. In fact, I’m currently working on a mini-portable rice harvester, corn pilling and soyabean threshing machine, a mini-tractor, among others.

“It is a profitable business; one of the mowers can be sold double the price of production. But I haven’t sold much because there was no capital to mass produce for commercial purpose. I operate my shop mostly when I come home (Benue) for break.”

Mtom as a teacher with Bristow Secondary School in Gboko before returning to school, taught one of the entrepreneurial subjects on GSM maintenance and repairs.

He also wrote a book on the subject because the trade subject helped students (youths) who after graduating from college engage themselves gainfully in the society as they stay away from street life, drugs, trouble and violence.

He said, “I advise the teaming youths to wake up; let’s stop depending on politicians to give us fish. Let’s learn how to catch fish ourselves for we are the ones to change Nigeria.

“Let’s join hands together and build a better Nigeria. Look at the Chinese, they were nowhere but today they are somewhere far better than we are. There is still hope! Nigeria will be better again.”