Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has rewarded a 25-year Almajiri with N5 million for a ‘hand-held tractor’ fabrication in Maiduguri metropolis.
The financial rewards to Laminu Mohammed; was to support and further develop the innovative skills in local fabrications of affordable agricultural machines and equipment.
Excited over Laminu’s innovations, recently in Maiduguri, the Governor said: “The local fabrication of hand plough tractors to till farmlands could boost farmers’ productivity and incomes to fight poverty and unemployment
According to him, conventional ploughs are usually attached to tractors or other means of transportation and manually dragged to plough and ridge farmlands for cropping,
He added that Lamin had never attended any formal school, apart from the traditional Quranic education, known as Tsangaya in the Almajiri system in the North.
In fabricating the local tractor, Zulum said that components of a Lister engine used for pumping water were coupled to construct a plough that works like the conventional tractor pushed by hands.
The Governor, an Engineer by profession, invited Laminu for technical interaction, the almajiri however, proved his engineering skills for the invention of the tractor.
He said that the reward; is aimed at inspiring the ‘unschooled engineer’ to produce more ploughs and other agricultural machinery for farmers in the state.
Rewarding Laminu came barely two weeks after Zulum released N5 million to a 13-year old primary school boy who used mud to copy the designs of the N4.32 billion first flyover along Maiduguri/Gamboru road.
The Governor also presented five mini buses and N20m cash to a young Borno man who specializes in converting buses with petrol engines to solar-powered electric vehicles.
The support was extended to Phoenix Renewable Energy Group (PREG) owned by electrical Engineer, Mustapha Gajibo.