Muhammad Adamu Kayeri, a resident of Damaturu, the state capital of Yobe, is a climate change advocate who came up with the building idea of constructing a house with plastic bottles to minimise waste and tackle ecological changes.
How did you come up with this idea of construction with plastic bottles?
I initiated a local organisation named Intellectual Potential Initiative (IPI) which focused on selecting talented and innovative youths by encouraging them to come up with new ideas that will solve our problems locally. I came up with the idea of building with used plastic bottles to encourage recycling of waste materials to create jobs and ensure a safer environment. This is not the first time I came up with an innovative idea like this; I make interlocks with sachet water nylons meant to encourage recycling and wealth generation.
Two of my friends were trained by M-Recycling and General Services, an international company. We were trained online for 6 months on how to help our state and country in reducing the waste, ecological imbalance and poverty. So, I thought it is good to apply what we have been taught to encourage our teeming youths to adopt healthy innovation advocacy.
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Two of my friends who learnt about this recycling measure have applied it in their states; they even got a grant to expand the project, so I felt that it was important for me to build this house to make ‘Kayeri Village’ a hub centre for creative youth and be beneficial to our community. It is a simple work to take used bottles from the street; fill them with sand while sealed, and then paste them with a mixture made of earth, clay, and sawdust.
So, I started this project on 15 February when I rented a place with the agreement to have the module set up there, but after the building started, the owner came and stopped us because he only supports temporary constructions on his land after I had spent a lot of money on it. We have no option but to leave the site. After that incident, the owner of the land asked us to do this project here so as not to feel disappointed.
What is the most challenging parts of the project?
The most challenging part of this project was getting the plastic bottles. I had to post a request for used plastic bottles on my Facebook page as we didn’t know where we could get them for free. Afterwards a woman working at the state university gave us over 36,000 used plastic bottles free of charge. So that impressed me to go ahead with the project.
Secondly, my family and friends discouraged me with the belief that I won’t be able to carry out the project successfully. Thirdly, the work cannot be done alone as additional hands are needed. Surprisingly, most of the climate change advocates I know around refused help. Only a handful of volunteers came up and they were not consistent. So, I had to employ some almajirai, paying them 5 naira per bottle they fill.
Did you gain any financial support while working on it?
I never sought financial assistance from the government or private organisations. I am the one that is supporting the project with my salary through my work with NGOs.
How strong is the building compared to a normal one?
Although it is just a one-room and house premises, it is a very cheap construction compared to the normal building that we used to do. It does not require much money because the building materials are available on the streets. It is stronger than brick-wall houses and can last for over 300 years if constructed properly and carefully.
It is fireproof, bulletproof and earthquake-resistant and can adapt to all kinds of climate changes, flooding, desertification, and deforestation.
How long does it take to build, and are there any people that show interest in the building?
I spent eight days on this and when I started, many people were impressed with the quality of the work, that is why four people have asked me to build a house for them. Many people thought that I could not do it but after this project, they were impressed with the development, some people approached me to teach them.
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