A PRINCE OF THE CALIPHATE: DOING NIGERIA PROUD

When people think of “Detroit Michigan” in the United States of America, what readily comes to mind? General Motors – world’s largest auto maker, creator and builder of automobiles like Chevrolet, Cadillac, Chevy Silverado and many other exotic wheels of the future. The super rich, glitz and glamour, brilliant engineers and designers, and the best brains (like Bob Boniface, Ann Asensio, Joel Piaskowski, Ralph Gilles,) from every
imaginable part of the world, also comes to mind! In Detroit Michigan, another name now comes to mind: JELANI ALIYU, a young Nigerian from the sultanate state of Sokoto in Northern Nigeria! So who is Jelani Aliyu? You may ask. The 2007 edition of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) which takes place in Detroit, Michigan every year, might have come and gone, but its ripples continue to spread, not just in Nigeria, but across the globe. The NAIAS is one of the most prestigious automobile shows in the world. It features world class automobile manufacturers like General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. Auto makers usually seize the occasion of the show to bring their new creations to spotlight. It has been so since 1907 when the show was first held in Detroit. It was at this show, in 2007, that the most exquisite, breath taking and futuristic car of our generation was first unveiled. It is the Chevrolet Volt, “a plugin hybrid electric car that can travel for up to 40 miles (64km), powered by electricity which is stored in its on board lithiumion batteries”. That is not all. This car, it is believed, has the capacity to commute about 75% of Americans whose average daily commute is 33 miles. That is still not all.
After 40 miles (64 km), a small 4-cylinder gasoline internal combustion engine creates electricity on-board to 53 kW (71 hp) generator to extend the Volt’s range to over 300 miles (483 km). We are still not done. The electrical power from the generator is sent to either the electric motor or the batteries, depending on the state of charge (SOC) of the battery pack. Before you rush off to place your order, be informed that this 40,000 dollar car is not yet in the market. You have to wait until November 2010, because General Motors wants to launch it as a 2011 model.
Now the News! Chevy Volt, as she is fondly called, was designed by…guess who… JELANI ALIYU!! That’s right folks, my own…I mean, our own Jelani Aliyu!!! His journey from the sandy deserts of Northern Nigeria, to the industrial city of Detroit as a top world class automobile designer can be traced to his days in Federal Government College Sokoto, from where he graduated in 1983 with an award as the best in Technical Drawing.
(Whatever has happened to that Subject, Technical Drawing?) He drew a lot, designed his own cars, and even built scale models of them, complete with exteriors and interiors.