Mr Jelani Hydar Aliyu, OFR, is a Nigerian who designed the
Chevrolet Volt, a state-of-the-art electric car. He attended Capital School, Sokoto, 1971 to 1978 , an excellent school,
Federal Government College, Sokoto, from where he graduated in 1983 with an
award as the best in Technical Drawing. He is also, graduate
of College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Where he
bagged degree in industrial design and majored in transportation design.
Jelani was born in 1966 in
Kaduna, to Alhaji Aliya Haidara and Sharifiya Hauwa’u Aliyu. The fifth of seven
children, theirs is a very close-knit family.
Jelani who said he started drawing as far back as he can remember. Said ‘’ I have been drawing probably since I was able to pick a pencil and hold a paper and start doodling and drawing things, people, cars and anything around me. And I got a lot of support from my parents, my brother. I know that my father and brother whenever they would travel away they would buy a lot of magazines and other materials that helped me and helped my imagination.’’
He also mentioned a particular family friend and relative, Sanusi Babagoro, whom he said really played a great role in helping me develop my talent. At what point in your life and career did you have your break?
‘’My message to them would be to really understand what they are good at. That’s the key to success. Understand what your talent is and do all you can to develop that. Secondly, try to identify people in your family, in your community that can help you get there. Really, put all your efforts into the things you are good at.
Traditionally, in terms of human development it is okay, you are good in ABC, but you are not good in EFG so maybe you should not spend more time on the things that you are not good at so that you could bring up to par. Well, what that does is at best, it makes you mediocre. So, now you are good at something you don’t really want to do and you didn’t put a lot of effort into what you could have been great at.
So, my advice is to identify what you are good at - not also neglecting the other stuff - and put all your efforts in it so that you would be the best that you can be. The things you are not so good at let someone cover that area, so that together each person will play his or her role to bring the society up, the nation up, the world up. But concentrate on what you are good at, usually it is the things that you find yourself wanting to do without anybody pushing you to do them. And then never give up, no matter what the challenges are.’’
Jelani who said he started drawing as far back as he can remember. Said ‘’ I have been drawing probably since I was able to pick a pencil and hold a paper and start doodling and drawing things, people, cars and anything around me. And I got a lot of support from my parents, my brother. I know that my father and brother whenever they would travel away they would buy a lot of magazines and other materials that helped me and helped my imagination.’’
He also mentioned a particular family friend and relative, Sanusi Babagoro, whom he said really played a great role in helping me develop my talent. At what point in your life and career did you have your break?
‘’My message to them would be to really understand what they are good at. That’s the key to success. Understand what your talent is and do all you can to develop that. Secondly, try to identify people in your family, in your community that can help you get there. Really, put all your efforts into the things you are good at.
Traditionally, in terms of human development it is okay, you are good in ABC, but you are not good in EFG so maybe you should not spend more time on the things that you are not good at so that you could bring up to par. Well, what that does is at best, it makes you mediocre. So, now you are good at something you don’t really want to do and you didn’t put a lot of effort into what you could have been great at.
So, my advice is to identify what you are good at - not also neglecting the other stuff - and put all your efforts in it so that you would be the best that you can be. The things you are not so good at let someone cover that area, so that together each person will play his or her role to bring the society up, the nation up, the world up. But concentrate on what you are good at, usually it is the things that you find yourself wanting to do without anybody pushing you to do them. And then never give up, no matter what the challenges are.’’
Brilliant Jelina added that ‘’the vehicles of
the future will be more intone with the environment and intone with the system,
a lot of development is being done in autonomous vehicle, whereby the car just
takes you to where you want to go. With global satellite navigation systems now
we won’t be too far...Right now there are cars that sense another car near, in
front of you and breaks for you, cars that park themselves for you. So, in the
future it wouldn’t be surprising that you would get into some type of machine,
you tell it where you want to go and it takes you there...’’
Jelani Aliyu is considered by many to be the super star of
the General Motors, with his brilliant work on the design of the Chevrolet
Volt, which was unveiled in 2007 , truly, Jelani is a man all Nigerian must be
proud of.
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