MEET D.G NADDC : JELANI ALIYU GLOBAL RENOWNED DESIGNER OF CHEVROLET VOLT (PHOTOS)

Jelani Aliyu, a Nigerian designer who designed a globally renowned electric car, the Chevrolet Volt was recently appointed by President Buhari as the director-general of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

The Chevrolet Volt has been described as a modern day revolutionary product, one that would change the world.

As the head of the council, Aliyu, would be in charge of implementing new development policies for Nigeria’s automobile industry.

Here is a brief  biography on Aliyu.

Background

Jelani Aliyu is a Muslim who was born in Kaduna, in 1966 to parents, Aliya Haidara and Sharifiya Aliyu, from Sokoto state. He is the fifth of seven children.

Education

He attended Capital School, Sokoto from 1971 to 1978. In 1978, he gained admission into Federal Government College, Sokoto, and graduated in 1983 with an award as best in Technical Drawing. Aliyu went to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his A-levels. He later dropped out and enrolled in the Birnin Kebbi Polythechnic in Kebbi state, where he graduated as the best all-round student and earned a degree in Architecture.

Like every genius, Aliyu wanted to learn more so in 1990, he went ahead to study Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. He was able to further his education in Detroit on a Sokoto state government scholarship and he graduated in 1994.

Career

After graduation, he was immediately noticed by an American multinational corporation that designs and markets vehicles, General Motors. GM vehicles are sold under various brands such as, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden and many more. He began his career as a design staff at General Motors in 1994 and he has been with GM since then. Jelani Aliyu is considered by many as the super star of the General Motors renaissance.

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Inspiration

Aliyu expressed that he has always been inspired by nature, things that surrounds him and his imagination. For a man with a mind like his, that simply means he sees ideas in everything and everywhere. In an interview with Daily Trust, in 2016, Aliyu said: “Growing up, I’ve always loved science fiction and in the movies you’d see a lot of alien spacecraft and other futuristic, imaginative things that would inspire me to look beyond. I also love cars a lot, even though then we didn’t have Ferraris in Sokoto. But we did have magazines in which I saw them and they inspired me, too. So I put together my love for drawing and cars and decided to be a car designer.”

Dreams

His dreams for Nigeria Aliyu says he wants an automobile industry in Nigeria that designs vehicles for Nigerians, a vehicle that tune into the history and culture of Nigeria. “A Nigerian vehicle that is conceptualized, designed and developed by Nigerians for Nigerians in Nigeria. When I say Nigerian vehicle, I don’t necessarily mean the whole thing, but a vehicle designed specifically for the Nigerian populace. A vehicle in tune with the history, culture, environment and economic structure of the people, and I think we are heading there.”

Achievements

Aliyu invented the Chevrolet Volt, a battery-powered, extended range passenger vehicle which was described as General Motors’ most electrifying advanced technologic vehicle.” The Chevrolet Volt has an electric generator powered by an internal combustion engine with the capacity of 62 kW. It has a fuel tank capacity of 45 liters. The fuel tank combined with the battery charge gives it enough to run for 640 miles.

He Co-designed the Buick Rendezvous. He was the lead exterior designer of the Pontiac G6. In 2014, his invention ‘the Chevrolet Volt’ was given an award by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the market.

MEET OUR OWN JELANI ALIYU:GM DESIGNER OF THE CHEVY VOLT

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.’’

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.