Out of sheer ingenuity, a group of seven students of the Nnamdi Azikwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, have built a made-in-Nigeria mini bus, which they say is the first of its kind to be produced in Nigeria. Proudly supported by the university community, the emerging engineers sought to build something in Nigeria, for Nigerians.

The mini bus was a sequel to an erstwhile Formula 1 car called AutoZik, which was made by a group of five in the same engineering department of the institution. An effort of about five months construction, the innovators boast that the invention stands out from what is currently available in Nigeria.

This confidence is borne out of the configuration of the bus. It was said to have been made using the computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software. The purpose was to critically put the topography of the environment and weather into consideration. This explains why Ezeigwe Chitoo, one of the AUTOZIK II team, revealed that the project was aimed at advancing the ergonomic standard of existing shuttle buses.

The mini bus features good seating arrangements, better fuel conservation, bright aesthetics and a well set passenger view.

It is also worthy to note that the AUTOZIK II team built the mini bus by using locally sourced materials from start to finish inside the mechanical workshop of the university. This is a great leap forward in the manufacturing sense that can be emulated by other indigenous inventors.

In view of this development the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ahaneku has pledged to give his support for invention and ingenuity in the university. If these students get the necessary financial support they could see a mass production of their locally made bus.