After 15 failed efforts, a young Nigerian named Oyekunle Michael has achieved a remarkable act of patience by successfully developing a generator that runs without the need for fuel.
For his ground-breaking invention, Oyekunle, a computer science graduate of Nigeria’s Interlink Polytechnic, received a $5,000 prize from the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
With a $5,000 award annually, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Grant seeks to empower budding business owners throughout Africa in order to promote economic growth, fight poverty, and generate employment opportunities.
Oyekunle’s inspirational story begins when he was a little boy and, following the divorce of his parents, travelled to Ibadan, Nigeria, to live with his uncle. He had trouble doing simple things like reading at night because he grew up in a place where power shortages were often.
“Do you know the pain of trying to read at night without electricity? We relied on lanterns, and it was a huge challenge. You couldn’t even watch TV because there was no power,” he reminisced.
These difficulties stoked his inventiveness, which led him to imagine a generator that could run without fuel in order to better not only his own life but also the lives of those in his neighbourhood.
Oyekunle initially shared his concept with his physics instructor, who gave him encouragement by confirming that it was feasible. However, it was challenging to realise his idea due to financial limitations. He worked part-time jobs to finance his project and his computer science courses since he was determined to succeed.
In 2022, Oyekunle was able to create a prototype of his fuelless generator after 15 failed efforts and more than ₦250,000. Like conventional fuel-powered generators, his scrap metal generator can power lights, fans, and televisions, among other household items. But finding money continued to be a challenge.
Oyekunle was denied the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) award when he first applied for it in 2021. He reapplied in 2023, unfazed, and was thrilled to be awarded the $5,000 non-refundable seed grant (more than ₦7 million).
“Honestly, I never thought I would be selected. My primary goal is to undergo comprehensive Business Management Training because my first attempt in 2021 was unsuccessful,” he said.
Oyekunle was extremely appreciative of Tony Elumelu, a well-known African philanthropist and investor, and the foundation for recognising his work.
Oyekunle is now working to make his environmentally friendly generator available to low-income homes in his capacity as CEO of Mailko Technology Limited. His ultimate goal is to reach mass manufacturing so that every office and home has reliable electricity without relying on expensive fuel.
“Our mission is to provide reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy solutions to every individual, home, and office, irrespective of their income level,” he said.
CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, Allschoolabs
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