An ingenious Nigerian engineer, Yahaya Ahmed, has built a house in Kaduna with plastic bottles.
Engineer Ahmed achieved the trailblazing feat by sand filling using 14,800 plastic bottles with bricks.
The result of his ingenuity is a three-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and kitchen.
Commenting on how the structure was achieved, Ahmed explained that the plastic bottles were filled with sand and linked at the neck by a network of strings.
According to him, the house could last 300 years and is 20 times stronger than structures built with brick walls.
As the director of a non-governmental organization, Developmental Association of Renewable Energies in Nigeria (DARE), Ahmed said he embarked on the initiative to help reduce plastic pollution in the environment.
Further motivations he said are to encourage the recycling of waste materials as well as job creation, all toward a safer environment.
Speaking with journalists at the site in 2021, Ahmed explained that his mode of construction is cost-effective as building materials are readily available on streets and dumpsites.
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“It is the cheapest house to build in this generation with waste plastic bottles on the streets polluting our environment and causing more problems like flood and other disasters in the communities,” he said.
Ahmed further said the house is “fireproof, bulletproof, earthquake-resistant and can adapt to all kinds of climate changes, desertification and deforestation”.
He also noted that “The circular shape adds strength to the walls, while providing a very artistic and pleasing appearance.”
According to him, “Any person with masonry skills can be used as labour in the construction of one of these homes.
We have trained many youth and we are still training more youth and adults the various ways of constructing these houses across the country and some parts of Africa.”
Nigerian man breaks 108-year-old UN record
A Nigerian student known as Noel Ifeanyi Alumona made the country proud as he broke a 108-year-old record by winning a UN AFS award.
The UN AFS Award for Young Global Citizens is a way in which young people are recognized for their commitment towards improving the global community and whose endeavors contribute to sustaining a peaceful and tolerant world.
Noel, an indigene of Enugu state in Nigeria and student of the prestigious Vanderbilt University in the US, bagged the award for Young Global Citizens. The recognition was in appreciation for his relentless work to discourage violence against women.
He achieved this feat through his non-profit organization, Boys Champion which he founded in 2018.
While Alumona spoke to Legit.ng, he recounted the selection process, describing it as competitive and rigorous.
