‘People didn’t believe in our award-winning vehicle initially’

Abdulmalik Adetunji Taj-Liad: Exciting, as well as exhilarating. We also had the privilege to represent the country internationally. It helped make us feel great, as initially, the question on everyone’s lips was ‘Can Nigerian students make a car that will actually move?’ But we were able to successfully prove naysayers wrong. We received training which, […]

Abdulmalik Adetunji Taj-Liad: Exciting, as well as exhilarating. We also had the privilege to represent the country internationally. It helped make us feel great, as initially, the question on everyone’s lips was ‘Can Nigerian students make a car that will actually move?’ But we were able to successfully prove naysayers wrong.
We received training which, ordinarily, we wouldn’t have been able to get. We learnt team work, responsibility, commitment and sacrifice to achieve a set goal. Overall, this project has shaped us better for the future.
What is the Tuke-Tuke and how did the idea come about?
Taj-Liad: After two students attended the Shell Eco Marathon Europe in 2013 to observe the event, a competition that has been ongoing for over 30years, a team of capable students from different departments was put together to make a car that would eventually participate. We sat down and drew a plan, put in for the urban concept category, that is, one like our conventional cars. We wanted a car people would appreciate and one that would instantly tell a story. We were, therefore, the first team from sub-Saharan Africa to participate in the world-famous competition. We’re made up of thirteen active students.
The name Tuke-Tuke is coined from the name of an indigenous mode of transport in Benin and it took us eight months to build our car.
What were some of the challenges you faced?
Taj-Liad: Many. But one major one was unavailability of high grade materials in Nigeria, so we had to resort to using scrap and ordering materials from outside the country, which took a lot of time. There was also an initial challenge regarding funds. But we are grateful to University of Benin management and SPDC JV for supporting us in this project. Unavailability of power supply also posed as a challenge, unavailability of standard high equipment, technical support, reliable internet access and time constraints were also issues we had to tackle.  One other very sensitive area was lack encouragement from people around us; it took extra strength to be able to complete the project successfully.
How easy of difficult was it for you to get sponsors?
Taj-Liad: It was very difficult. People we sceptical about investing in a project that had no short-term profit. But most especially, people do not believe in the capability of Nigerian students and it was hard to convince them without seeing anything on ground yet.  But SPDC JV, University of Benin, and the Engineering Network being the sponsors we had, believed in us and were very committed to seeing the project work.
The team of inventors are still students in UNIBEN. How did you guys juggle your studies with the Tuke-Tuke’s creation?
Taj-Liad: Passion drives us. More so, what we are learning in school we are now currently applying to the project, so it was not particularly a challenge.  But we had to do proper planning to balance academics and the project. We are grateful to Prof. Akii Ibhadode who always reminded us to focus on our studies as much as we focused on the project.
You have been to different countries for competitions. Of them all, which is the most memorable?
Taj-Liad: Our experience in Rotterdam, maybe. It was the toughest, as it was our first time abroad so we had little or no experience and lots of design flaws, which we detected and applied to our next design. But overall, we have gotten better.
People appreciated what we did and we knew the effort we put in. We associated with other teams and learnt ways to improve on our design. In such a situation, we do not allow intimidation to set in.
Do you think GPS and adaptive cruise control technologies have evolved to the point where they can be an integrated part of car systems?
Taj-Liad: It is fully feasible but it is slightly constrained to locations where GPS maps are available and accurately functional. To be specific, we are actually including this system into our next car design.
Are you working towards mass-producing cars at affordable rates for Nigerians?
Taj-Liad: The essence of our production of this car is for the competition and not for commercial purposes. However, we are hopeful that automotive firms can come and tap from our research and designs and improve the automotive industry.
Are you looking forward to entering a partnership with any of the automobile industries in the country or the world generally?
Taj-Liad: We are working towards partnering with big automotive firms in future. Presently we are in talks with the famous Nigerian car-makers called Innoson and the prospects of the relationship are bright.
In your opinion, does the government have a role to play in fostering innovation?
Taj-Liad: Yes, the government has played a vital role in fostering innovation but more can be done. One of the rules government can improve on is providing reliable power supply, which alone can considerably improve Nigeria’s automobile industry.  Education sector should also be focused on.