Environmental pollution is reaching rates never seen before. Climate change is a real problem that can have irreversible changes to our planet. In Nigeria a group of boys have developed a means of transport that does not require fuel to operate, which has come to benefit public transport and reduce pollution.
In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno in north-eastern Nigeria, is where a small bus revolution is taking place, which runs on solar energy. Mustapha Gajibo, is a young entrepreneur who had the idea of creating a business niche in this terror-ravaged region, but he has also said that he wants to redefine the entire transportation system.
He has said that fuel prices have risen in Nigeria and also in the rest of the world, so it is becoming more expensive to travel and conventional vehicles are polluting. Gajibo's business is about converting fuel-based engines to an electric drive. These can travel up to 150 km and can be recharged at any station or at the stations of the same company.
All the power and electricity that drives the movement comes from the sun. The batteries only take 35 minutes to fully charge. By mid-2022 they had already adapted more than 10,000 buses and 50 tricycles. These transformations have been implemented especially in the minibuses. Although Nigeria is an oil producing country the cost of transportation is expensive that is why many people are preferring to use the solar powered minibuses.
Some users have commented that these minibuses are even faster than conventional ones, they don't make noise and it's cheaper. This region suffered the ravages for more than a decade by the terrorist group of boko haram, however the economy is still devastated. Due to the occupation of the terrorist group, Gajibo dropped out of school and decided to start his own small business. The company he created is called Phoenix Renewables, and he hires mechanics, electricians, and other staff. He is developing his own bus which he believes will be more efficient, will go 150-200 km on one charge and have a capacity of 15 passengers.
Undoubtedly, this is a very innovative project that he is starting and that will surely be widely accepted because it is economical and friendly to the environment.
