The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Dr Mukail Akinde, on Friday said the institution is planning to have a mini assembly plant for the production of its newly invented electric automated tricycle.

Akinde also called on the Federal Government as well as corporate organisations especially in the manufacturing sector to help drive the commitment of the polytechnic to see to the commercial production of the invention.

The rector said that the success of the commercial production of the tricycle would help a lot to cut importation, “reduce the pressure on our foreign exchange and boost job opportunities for our teeming youths.”

Akinde disclosed this while speaking when the Governing Council of the institution led by its Chairman, Alhaji Garba Gashua and the National Automotive Design and Development Council visited the innovation centre of the institution to inspect the newly invented electric automated tricycle.

The polytechnic is said to be the first institution to produce this brand of tricycle, built and assembled at the institution’s innovation centre.

The rector appealed to the Federal Government to inject more funds into the institution to birth more innovations, research, and development.

He said, “My expectation now is to see how we can take the tricycle to the industry. Let me also tell you that this is just the prototype, the main design will contain three people; the rider and two other people at the back.

“It will also contain a solar-powered panel that will be charging the tricycle. That has already been designed but we are looking for people to partner with like Innoson or whoever that will help us take the innovation to the industry for commercial production.

“If we cannot produce this tricycle in commercial quantity, it means that we shall be importing it and this will pile more pressure on our exchange rate. So we are asking for agencies that will support us and also fund this polytechnic so that we can do better.

“We want to have a mini assembly plant here in the way we can produce like 10 tricycles or more. I want to assure you that by next season we are producing three of these tricycles that we shall be using on our campus.”

He explained that the tricycle “will contain three people and it will have a solar-powered panel that will be charging it. Another unique feature of this tricycle is that it can reverse unlike those we have outside there.”

Responding, the Chairman, the Governing Council of the Polytechnic, Alhaji Garba Gashua, said he was excited and proud of the brilliant innovation of the polytechnic and would certainly rally support to ensure that the dream is fully realised.

Gashua said “I have been so impressed with the tricycle produced by the polytechnic. I rode in it from the innovations centre to the administrative complex. I am equally happy that almost what the polytechnic used in the production were sourced locally.

“We are however proposing that the next one that they will do should contain three people at the back and then one person at the front just the way our normal tricycle works.

“The representative of the National Automotive Centre who came with us to inspect the tricycle has said he’s quite impressed with the innovation.

“We surely need Federal government assistance for this polytechnic so that they can expand the scope of this machine. We don’t have the funds but we shall go beg the Federal government to come to our aid.”

The Director, Vehicle Electrification, National Automotive Design and Development Council, Mr Ayinde Abdullahi, while commending the initiative said that the completion of so many raw materials companies being built by the Federal government would help a lot to boost local production in the automobile industry.

The Director of the Innovation Centre, Jide Soyemi, said that the centre was set up three years ago to give the students cutting-edge technology that is not in the curriculum but is in the industry.

Soyemi said that the innovation centre exposes the students to areas like Artificial Intelligence, robotics, drone making and flying, particularly the ones for agricultural purposes, and portable inverters for use of micro business.

He said the newest invention was the tricycle with the students contributing over 80 per cent in all that they do at the centre. (Sunday PUNCH)

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