'Future Depends on Us:' Nigerian Inventor Who Turned Waste Into Electricity

"We move with the trend, or the trend actually leaves us behind. [...] Especially now that almost the whole world is interested in climate. So renewable energy is actually the future now. And that's why a lot of multinationals are actually investing so much. Countries are actually investing so much in it. So I think the future depends on us. If we decide to go along with the trend, with the movement, and at least do our own part, once we can, invest in talent, invest in startups that can actually find out that they have a bright future to work on all these things," he said.

"We really need to be at the center of it [ the trend] because our environment is so good. Just for example, in terms of solar, we have a very good environment for that. Even for hydro, we don't have most of what is natural disasters here. So, meaning that all these technologies and things that have to do with renewables definitely get to work better in this part of the world. If we do what we are supposed to do," the inventor added.

"We need the right support. If we have the right environment, the right investment, the right education and everything, I think we should be able to have all it takes to solve our problems. Our people are doing a whole lot of great things," Nelson said.

"I felt that there was a need to solve a problem; there's a problem to solve. And I took it up. [...] I think the first design I did then was only able to transform those plastic wastes into kerosene that people used to cook. From then on, I kept on developing the machine gradually. Then, at some point, I was able to create one that could split whatever was in the plastic; I was able to get both petrol, kerosene and diesel, even paraffin from the plastic waste," he recalled.

"[...] Even in our schools today, should I say the enabling environment is not there, is one of the main issues I faced because I imagine being a kid and having to create everything from scratch. And being very inquisitive, I literally had to read. I could literally tell you that I started reading both physics, geography from primary school [...] while I was trying to find answers," he said.

"So funding also has to do with the kind of enabling environment, and sometimes, just as we start looking for crude implementations, crude equipment tools to put all these things together. So I think number one is an enabling environment. Secondly, right education and mentorship, then another one has to do with the funding. So these are three major things," he summed up.

"In fact, plastic waste is one of the greatest menaces we have today. [...] I'm sure if we have something like this in a very large format, what is going to happen is that all those landfills and the plastics [...] [are] going to disappear. [...] [It] is actually going to improve the condition of the environment, our atmosphere. [...] Number [two], this is [going] to solve the issue of electricity, especially in Nigeria. So Nigeria is going to create jobs," Nelson shared his hopes.

"Nothing will change until you start doing something. You don't need to be perfect. Be very inquisitive. Do something. That in your mind starts somewhere today. It's not going to be easy, but you end up making something out of it. That's just it," Nelson concluded.