By Juliet Umeh
A highly talented 24-year-old man, Chisom Okechukwu, has constructed an electric wheelchair to ease the stress of being physically-challenged around by others.
The Enugu-born Okechukwu, a Senior Secondary Certificate Examination SSCE holder from the Government Technical College, GTC, Enugu whose talent started manifesting while he was a little boy said the chair can be controlled by just a press of a button.
Speaking on the operations of the wheelchair, he said: “I constructed the wheelchair in one month; it could have been less than that if I had the finance to source for my needed materials.
The battery can last for 30 minutes because I didn’t use the required material.
If I can be backed up financially, I can make one that can last for an hour.”
Speaking on his other works, “I have invented an electric-assisted spraying machine that you just saw. The spraying machine works with electricity and when there is no light you can use your generator to operate it.”
He explained: “I started manifesting this gift while I was still very small. In fact, the talent runs in my blood line, we have technology there.
“My grandfather was an inventor and my father is an engineer. He has produced locally made hot plates and ovens. But I am glad that today, I am opportune to be seen.”
While speaking further, he said: “I am an inventor and the work of an inventor is to invent something that will solve a problem, my main reason of going into research in constructing electric is to ease the people who are in need of it the stress of pushing it while they could easily control it with a button.
“It is not that I don’t know that they have already made electric wheelchairs but the reason I came up with my own invention is to produce something that can be easily maintained.
“Also, for people to know that we can use material around us to make something useful to society.”
