Through his tale, a Nigerian man from Oyo State, Oyekunle Michael, has demonstrated that anything is possible for someone who is determined. The graduate of Computer Science from Interlink Polytechnic has built a fuel- and noise-free generator.
He claimed that before he eventually succeeded in 2022 after more than 15 failed attempts, he had other inventions to his name.
In a video posted on Twitter, the young man who makes his livelihood by riding an okada demonstrated how to use the generator that took him 13 years to build because of financial limitations.
Michael discussed the generator’s power directly with Legit.ng, claiming that it is strong, simple to use, low-maintenance, and eco-friendly.
In his words, “It’s very effective, just like a normal petrol and diesel generator. The one I built now has a capacity of 900 watts of the ‘I Better Pass My Neighbor’ generator and can power home appliances like TVs, and fan bulbs, depending on size.
“I can build from 1kva up to 20kva to power a whole building and offices, with help and support.” What inspired Michael to build a fuelless generator? Michael said it all started about 13 years ago when his parents separated.
He narrated, “It started 13 years ago. My mum and dad got separated, and things became hard for me and my mum. She had to send me to Ibadan to stay with my dad’s elder brother in a very remote area.
“We trekked miles to go to school. No light, to read, iron clothes, watch movies, etc. People who managed to put on a generator then trekked miles to get fuel.
“I thought of building a generator that will work without fuel 247 so everyone can have a steady alternative power supply. I told my physics teacher about it, and he said it’s possible if I can build my engine to drive the alternator.”
He set to work afterwards. “I started working on it. I told my guardian, and he liked the idea, but there weren’t funds to assist me in making one as he is a civil servant and a farmer.
“From my earnings, I financed my ND in computer science and still saved money to build a prototype of the fuelless generator. I had over 15 failed experiments before I finally got it right last year (2022) and spent close to 250k to get it done aside from those failed experiments.”
Oyekunle Michael is now seeking support to mass produce the generator and can do even bigger capacity generators if money is provided.
