By Saidu Abubakar
Nigerian automotive designer Jelani Aliyu, MFR, has counseled students of Ahmadu Bello University to become superheroes and fearless builders of an advanced Nigeria.
“You have to become fearless builders of fantastic empires. Builders of a society that becomes an integral part of the human civilization”, Aliyu said at the launch of ‘Create Before You Graduate’ program by the university.
According to a statement by the Public Affairs Directorate, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria today, Wednesday 2nd August, 2026, Aliyu, who once worked as a senior creative designer at the General Motors in America, was a guest speaker at the event where he shared with students his rich experience, insights, and vision.
The automotive designer served as the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council from 2017 to 2023.
Jelani Aliyu’s talk reflected that the university experience should not end with a certificate. Rather, it should equip young people with the confidence, creativity, and capacity to create solutions, opportunities, and values.
According to him, students should be builders of a society that is irreplaceable and indispensable in the global affairs of human race, the statement added
He said the powerful capabilities in students must be reawakened to go into innovation hyperdrive to build a Nigeria of unbelievable accomplishments.
The car designer described ABU’s ‘Create Before You Graduate’ as a great opportunity for students to bring out the best in them to apply talent and grits, and develop valuable solutions to the problems and challenges in daily Nigerian life.
He also explained that with the modern tools available today, coupled with the guidance and mentorship of their teachers and partner experts they would be able to compete with anyone from anywhere in the world.
Aliyu further said they must see themselves not just as Nigerians, but as members of the global community, sharing constructive ideas, aspirations, and coming up with solutions.
“Never allow anyone to discourage you, to convince you that you cannot complete your task. Never argue with them, but be determined in your goal”, he stressed.
The famous car designer stressed that Nigerians should continue to advocate that the country must innovate and produce 100% of all the goods it needs.
The statement further said that Aliyu described as ridiculous for a country like Nigeria to have 85% dependence on imported manufactured goods.
According to him, such attitude is highly detrimental to the growth and long term sustainability of the Nigerian economy, and to the well-being of its people.
He stressed that Nigeria has huge deposits of a majority of the raw materials needed to produce the goods at home, in addition to the talent required to conceptualize and build the goods.
“So the monster in the house is the incredible gap between our natural and human resources and the sophisticated products necessary for modern life”, Aliyu said.
Aliyu further stressed that innovation needs to happen right in Nigeria by Nigerian minds as no nation can build a successful civilization with an economy largely based on simple consumerism.
He said: “You can only do it through massive industrialization, massive innovation, and a hunger and a passion for futuristic progress”.
