Young Nigerian Invents Power-generating Football

According to Punch, a 25-year-old US-based Nigerian, Jessi Mathews, who invented a power-generating football was congratulated by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on friday.



Punch reports:

Matthews, who is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unchartedplay, was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to present the ball, which can generate three hours of light from 30 minutes of play to Jonathan.

She also presented an energy-generating skipping rope to the President.

While congratulating her on her creativity and innovativeness, Jonathan said he was impressed that Matthews, who trained as a psychologist and economist, developed herself in the field of science.

He described her feat as a proof of the quality of human resource present in Nigeria.

The President said the invention was useful as a major tool that could be used to mobilise young Nigerians and encourage them to think more deeply.

Matthews said, “Sometimes power is lost and you say what can you do to solve this situation and I saw my cousins and everyone playing football, playing with everything not even with football alone.

“I say this is amazing and they can rival Messi. If we can take this kinetic that is generated here and use it to address the issues that we really have; kinetic energy is used for windmill, why not the ball?”

She said although the items were already on sale in New York, she had not started making them in Nigeria.

She, however, said when they would be made available for sale in Nigeria, the cost would be equivalent to what people pay for a solar inverter.

Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said the Federal Government was looking at the possibilities of manufacturing the items in Nigeria and see how to make them cheaper for Nigerians.