Fourteen-year-old Samuel Ibekason wants to move the world. After building a motorised tricycle, the Junior Secondary School 2 pupil in Abia State is looking forward to making cars, if only someone can facilitate his study overseas in order to learn more. SUNNY NWANKWO tracked him down in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
At 14 he does not think like his peers. His obsession is fashioning things, especially those that move. Samuel Ibekason’s father repairs radio and television sets, and it is probable that his engineering trait comes from his dad’s gene. He has also been watching his father closely.
He said he wants to be a renowned auto mechanical engineer, who will make cars, not just fix them. To prove his claims and passion, young Ibekason has already built a miniaturised, automated tricycle, which he said is an improvement on existing tricycles commonly called keke. Before his fifth birthday, he produced a robot.
Excerpts of Nwankwo’s interview with Ibekason:
What is your name?
My name is Samuel Ibekason. I am from Umuotarazu Ibinaukwu Igbere in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State. We live at No. 21, Osimiri II, Owerre Aba in Aba South Local Government Area. I am 14 years old. The name of my school is Best Intellectual School. We are five in my family; two boys and a girl including my parents. My mother sells provisions in a store while my father repairs TV, radio and other electrical appliances.
Where did you get the idea to do what you are doing?
It is a natural gift from God. When I was four years old, I built a robot using old slippers. After that, I started using slippers to construct cars, tippers. At the initial stage, the cars were immobile. But much later, the idea of having a moving car and others came to me. At this point, I approached my Dad and he supported the idea. He gave me bulbs, radio motor and other things that I used to construct the first car that I constructed. The first car which is my brand is a High Runner, but not the kind of Highlander that we all know because I built it using my own concept and design. I have other cars that I have been able to build including this tricycle.
What motivated you to develop the tricycle?
What motivated me to build the things that I have been able to build is my passion and dream to launch my brand of indigenous automobile in the future. The tricycle that I have with me is to show people what I can do and whoever that likes it will appreciate what I have done.
There are things that I did in this keke which makes it unique from the normal keke that we see on the streets. I am keeping that to my heart because I wouldn’t want people to steal my idea and improve on what I have done so far.
What class are you?
I am in JSS2 at Best Intellectual Academy No. 9 Onwutebe Street.
What materials did you use to build the tricycle?
The parts I used are carton, thick glass, marker, pencil, slippers, plastic cover, battery and motor radio which I used as propeller.
If I have the proper education and training, I am sure that I will do better from what I have been able to do so far. Like I told you, I want to be known and my brand of car recognised in the world. Like the tricycle that you are seeing, it is an improvement of what we already have and now that they are talking about phasing out car and other automobiles using alternative source of power supply, I want to build cars and tricycles that will be using special kind of rechargeable battery to limit both noise and air pollution in our society.
What are you telling the government?
I am appealing for both government and private sponsorship so that I can go overseas for training and exposure so that when I will be through with my studies, I can come back here to establish my own factory and at the same time, employ people that will help me to produce more cars and create employment for the unemployed youths and even adults.
I know that when I establish a plant here and produce here, my products are going to be cheaper and long-lasting as well especially now that the federal government is talking about buying made-in-Aba or Nigeria. I am also going to use my factory to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths roaming the streets looking for job. Because I know that if jobs were created for the youths, crime of all kinds will be reduced and there will be peace in the society.
My dad and my mum have been supportive since I started doing this project. In fact, my dad in particular has been giving me some of the things that I have been using to work from scraps.