How I built helicopter, radio station, others – Self-taught ‘engineer’

Hadi Usman was born in 1953 in Azare town of Bauchi State but grew up in Gombe, having relocated there in 1955 with his father, Alhaji Shehu Azare, a religious scholar who migrated with his family. The self-taught ‘engineer’ has singlehandedly built helicopter, radio station, water powered stove, among several others in the past 47 years.

Can you describe your background?

I am Hadi Usman, I was born in 1953 in Azare, Bauchi State, but my father relocated to Gombe in 1955 when I was barely two years old, so I grew up in Gombe and have lived all my life here from our arrival when I was two years to date. I am about to clock 70 years.

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I studied the Qur’an from my father. And after I completed the recitation, I went to Maiduguri for further studies of other Islamic books. Also, upon my return I continued studying the books from my father.

How did you find yourself as an inventor?

I have practiced several businesses in the past. I sold traditional incense, which I used to purchase from Kano and sell here in Gombe. Afterwards, I went into selling second-hand clothings.

However, my journey as an inventor started in 1971, when I started working as a technician for Vespa motorcycle here in Jekadafari and later relocated to Sabon Layi area of the metropolis. It was while I was working as Vespa technician that I created a mini two-seat helicopter. Unfortunately, it crashed during test running and my father discouraged me from continuing with the project.

I abandoned the project and left the Vespa workshop because it was the trade that resulted in the creation of the helicopter that crashed and made my father angry.

Later, I stated working as an electronics technician and I opened a workshop for repairing appliances like radio, television and what have you in 1972.

In 1975, I started thinking of setting up a radio station which will cover my immediate environment.

When I started, a lot of people showed interest in the project, so I upgraded the station to cover about 45 kilometres away from the station. I employed 35 staffs to work in the radio station, although about 28 of them were working voluntarily without receiving any salary.

I called it ‘Hadi Radio Station’ and it operated for about nine years until 1984 when financial constraints forced me to close the station. At the time, the little money we were getting from selling greeting cards and jingles was not enough to run the station; that is to pay for electricity, fuel the official Peugeot vehicle purposely purchased for the station and pay some of the staff that worked for about 18 hours in the station.

After I closed the station in 1984, I moved to Kano State where I also opened a workshop for repairing electronics appliances and also operated another mini radio station in Fagge area of Kano where it became the ‘first private radio station in Kano State.’

Where did you train as an engineer?

Actually, nobody really trained me on how to repair electronics/electrical appliances. All I know is that I used to visit electronics repairing workshop and whenever I see how one performs a particular function, I learn it instantly. So, that was how I became a radio mechanic without really receiving any formal or non-formal training.

What is your level of education?

Apart from the Qur’anic education I received from my father and other Islamic teachers in Maiduguri, I never acquired western education in any formal school, even for primary education. I taught myself how to read and write in Hausa through reading Gaskiya Tafi Kobo.

When I later realised that I cannot properly do my job as a technician without understanding some level of English language, I again forced myself to learn the basics, especially the technical language used in electrical electronics.

How did you set up the radio station and how did it operate?

I set up the transmitter, studios and all the technical parts of the radio station singlehandedly, without any kind of assistance from a certified engineer. In fact, when I set up the station, I had never visited any radio station and then there was no google to search for direction.

We ran adverts, jingles and reading greeting cards. However, the authorities banned us from casting news and other current affairs programmes. According to them, even though we are doing it for leisure, members of the public will take whatever is broadcast in the radio station very seriously and act on it. Therefore, we never cast news, only entertainment and other soft programmes.

The radio was on air for seven years, between 1977 and 1984 when financial constraints forced us to close down.

There wasn’t enough money to run the station, not to talk of staff salaries and transport allowance for volunteer staff. So, we are neither getting money to run the station nor profitting from it.

Why did you relocate to Kano?

I have three hobbies – travelling, learning and teaching. When I closed down the radio station, I decided to change environment so that I can learn new things. I know that people can learn a lot through travelling. So, I decided to visit Kano. I arrived Kano in 1990 and opened a workshop for repairing radios, television and other electronic appliances, in addition to training people. That was how I opened the ‘first private radio station’ in Kano State.

And the radio station was opened by accident because when I arrived Fagge area of Kano metropolis, I found Kano to be too big and it will be difficult for people to know that a new electronics technician is in town. Therefore, I spent six months in my private room setting up the station through which I announced to Kano people that Hadi Usman, a new electronics technician has arrived Kano. 

I spent a week announcing my arrival, and people trooped to my workshop with hundreds of appliances that I couldn’t handle. 

What other things have you invented or constructed?

I have invented numerous items, and the watered powered cooking stove is the 77th invention. From 1975 to date, the stove is the number 77 item I invented. Some of the items I constructed are rechargeable and solar powered lantern, stove that uses computer battery among other items.

And recently, I set up a security and control system for my house. From here, I can control all the electrical appliances in the house. From the switches to fans, bulbs, TV and so on. It also has control for the CCTV camera mounted from the four directions of my house, from where I can detect any person approaching my house 200 metres away from all axis. I can also record the video footage in a flash drive that can be viewed later.

Is your job paying you?

Most of the items I have constructed are not related to electronics, though it is through repairing electronic items that I still feed my family of one wife and 11 children and other day-to-day running of the house. But I have invented several items that are not related to electronics which I sell in the market, which also brings money and improves my economy.

How do you get inspirations for all these?

A scientist always puts his mind to explore his imaginations and create new items. But for me, being an untrained scientist, my inventions are based on trial and errors. If what I intended to do works, then I write down the procedures on paper for future use. 

In all these years, how many people have you trained?

I have trained several people in this trade. And they are now established as electronics technicians, repairing electrical appliances and doing well in their respective areas. Some have also invented some items. Aside people from Nigeria, I have trained some from other African countries like Niger Republic, Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso. 

Also, all my children are trained and are also inventing/constructing things. My children start attending my workshop immediately they are enrolled into primary schools. After school, instead of rooming the streets, they come to the workshop to learn one or two things.

For instance, my eldest son constructed the motorcycle he currently uses. The second one is into handmade shoes, which are sold in boutiques as foreign shoes. My daughter makes women handbags which are selling like hot cakes in the market.

Has government offered you any assistance?

From 1975 to date, there has been no form of assistance from either local, state or federal government.  All they do is to visit the workshop, admire my works and leave.

What are you working on currently?

The water powered stove, which I created over two years ago. I even forgot about the project until recently when a journalist picked interest and reported it. 

I hardly tell people my next project until it is ready for presentation to the public because when I was working on the radio station and other inventions, people called me all sorts of names. Some said I am a mad person for saying I can do such items. Therefore, I stopped telling people my next invention until it is ready, so that people will see it practically and the question of mocking me won’t arise.

What kind of assistance do you need from government?

I need several forms of assistance from the government, but the most important is to have a big workshop where I can preserve my items and other inventions in one place, and where I can also train people so that when I am no more, the workshop will continue from where I stopped. That way, my ideas and inventions will not go with me. 

What’s your advice to the youth who still await a white-collar job?

My advice to the young people is to persevere in whatever vocation they are doing even without government assistance. They should not be discouraged.  

Also, people should put three things at the back of their minds if they want to succeed as inventors. First, you should never be afraid of losing your money, secondly you should not be afraid of being injured and thirdly never be afraid of putting a lot of your time into any project.