A PhD student from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Benin,(UNIBEN) has produced a one-ton utility truck.
The vehicle was developed by Igbinosa Eghosa of the Department of Production Engineering and supervised by Professor Akaehomen Ibhadode, who also led the team to present wonder on wheels to the university’s management.
Speaking during the brief ceremony, the project developer opined that the lightweight truck will reshape and power the growth of the nation’s transport and agriculture industries. He added that with adequate funding, the vehicle could be produced in large quantities as the design was capable of addressing transportation needs even in local communities.
Also speaking was the project supervisor pointed out that over 80 per cent of the materials used for the production of the truck, which runs at a maximum speed of 75km per hour, were sourced locally. He said the motivation behind the project was to encourage and promote the production of low-cost vehicles with very high local content including materials and labour in Nigeria.
Vice Chancellor of UNIBEN, Professor Lilian Salami, praised the team for promoting local production through their cutting-edge innovations. She expressed the university’s readiness to partner with the faculty in the production of some units of the vehicle for the Institution’s use.