At 25, Jerry Isaac Mallo has made a huge statement with the various machines he fabricated.
His latest offering is what some have termed Nigeria’s first Carbon Fibre sports car. The Fabrication Engineer and CEO of Bennie Technologies LTD, on Thursday, launched his Nigerian made sports car which is named the Bennie Purrie.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Mallo who was born in Jos, Plateau State, stated that he was inspired to create the sports car because Nigeria and Africa is a very big market for luxury vehicles.
“In Europe, we learnt that making the car is just half of the challenge, and selling it is the other half; Africa is usually is the target place to sell these vehicles, so I feel there’s a big market for it here,” Mallo stated.
He also noted that the continent has all the required resources and raw materials used in manufacturing the products, sadly, the vehicles are rarely made in Africa, hence, the reason he thought to fill the void.
Speaking further on the reason he delved into creating such a luxurious vehicle, Mallo said there are a lot of hand-skilled individuals in Nigeria who are wasting away because the nation tends to favour the theoretical more than the practical.
He said he was challenged and had to do something “practically inclined” which would serve as a platform for other skilled persons to put their hands together and come up with beautiful products.
Mallo said Plateau State government under Simon Lalong has been very supportive, stressing that the governor was the chief unveiler of his newest invention.
He also stated that the government has been key to his success, stressing that the state has helped with publicity for his engineering firm.
At the launch which held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Mallo noted that the sports car is the first of many more innovative products he will be creating.