A 31-year-old Nigerian man who dropped out of university proves himself by building electric vehicles from scratch.
A 31-year-old Exceptional Nigerian, Mustapha Abubakar Gajibo, who dropped out of the University of Maiduguri in his fourth year as a Mechanical Engineering student, has proven himself by building electric vehicles from scratch.
Mustapha is the Managing Director of Phoenix Renewables Limited, a startup based in Northern Nigeria that specializes in converting petrol-powered vehicles into solar energy-powered electric vehicles using rechargeable batteries sourced from local materials.
His journey took a different turn when he made the bold decision to leave university and focus entirely on his dream. Mustapha dropped out of the University of Maiduguri(UNIMAID) in 2015, a year after he began Phoenix Renewables Limited.
”I decided that continuing with my education would not give me the time I needed to concentrate on pursuing my dream. So, I decided to put my university education on hold so I can fulfill my dream of helping to solve some of the problems in our environment,” he said.
His passion for electric vehicles started after he observed the mass importation of tricycles into Nigeria, which led to job losses and significant foreign exchange outflow. To address this, he set out to manufacture high-quality, locally-produced electric tricycles.
After three years of development, Mustapha successfully produced 50 electric tricycles with a 200km range, which are now being used for commercial transportation in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Initially, his company imported most of the raw materials. However, to promote local content development, they started fabricating chassis using locally sourced materials.
Mustapha’s electric vehicles integrate high-capacity batteries and solar panels for supplementary charging. The vehicles offer a 200km range per charge, which takes just 35 minutes via electricity or solar power.
They also come with modern features such as Traffic indicators, Radios, and Air conditioning. Mustapha’s innovation aligns with the global shift towards sustainable transportation, offering key benefits such as Zero carbon emissions, Reduced noise pollution and Lower running costs compared to petrol-powered vehicles
By addressing issues like air pollution and fuel dependency, he is positioning Nigeria as a player in the clean energy revolution.
Mustapha is not stopping at local production. His ultimate goal is to compete with Tesla and other global brands. “We want to have our vehicles driven in New York, London, Munich, and other big cities across the world,” he said.
Having recorded significant progress in his company, Mustapha decided to return to school. He enrolled in the National Open University, Maiduguri, an online Study Centre.
Mustapha said he chose the online study center so he could have enough time to research and do other things while also studying.
