NIGERIA: Obaniyi Adeoyojo a Nigerian entrepreneur who making furniture and accessories out of palm tree leaves known as raffia has taken his business to the next level by creating a raffia bodied pickup truck

Record ID: 235921

  • Title: NIGERIA: Obaniyi Adeoyojo a Nigerian entrepreneur who making furniture and accessories out of palm tree leaves known as raffia has taken his business to the next level by creating a raffia bodied pickup truck
  • Date: 17th January 2013
  • Summary: OYO, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ENTREPRENEUR, OBANIYI ADEOYOJO WEAVING TRUCK WHEEL COVER OBANIYI REVERSING TRUCK VARIOUS OF OBANIYI FITTING WHEEL COVER TRUCK WHEEL COVER (SOUNDBITE) (English) OBANIYI ADEOYOJO, ENTREPRENEUR, SAYING: "I have many ideas about this thing that I'm doing now, many ideas have come, even though I have my own record and I have a book that I have drafted some designs on it and put measurements on each and every aspect of it of the car." VARIOUS OF OBANIYI WORKING ON CAR SEAT TRUCK WITH PLATS READING: OBANIYI VARIOUS OF CAR VARIOUS OF WOVEN ITEMS FOR SALE REAR LIGHT OF THE TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (English) OBANIYI ADEOYOJO, ENTREPRENEUR, SAYING: "I can be training as many as possible like some people that are jobless, they don't have jobs, you go to school, you have a certificate and you don't see government to use it for; if I teach them about my talent, give them little one out of it, under three months, they can do something." VARIOUS OF OBANIYI, DRIVING VARIOUS OF FUEL STATION VARIOUS OF CAR BEING FUELLED OBANIYI DRIVING OFF VARIOUS OF PEDESTRIANS LOOKING AT CAR VARIOUS OF MAN TAKING PHOTOS WITH PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Yoruba) RASHEED DURODOLA, TRADER, SAYING: "Raffia makes baskets used to carry waste, pepper, vegetables and other things and it is so surprising that someone is now using it to make a car." PEOPLE LOOKING AND TOUCHING TRUCK
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Business,Quirky,People,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVADHC2VRYO02QR81775SNWCXPRQ
  • Story Text: It's not a fruit basket and its not a mat or any other normal craft Obaniyi Adeoyojo makes at his roadside shop - its a wheel cap for a pick up truck tyre.
    Forty-year-old Obaniyi says the idea to cover his Volkswagen truck with the versatile leaves of palm trees or raffia, was a strategy to attract more customers and explore different ways to use the readily available material.
    The raffia twist car is named after its creator and has indeed made Obaniyi popular at home and abroad, with major international news networks posting photos of his raffia bodied car on the internet.
    "I have many ideas about this thing that I'm doing now, many ideas have come, even though I have my own record and I have a book that I have drafted some designs on it and put measurements on each and every aspect of it, of the car," Obaniyi said.
    Raffia palm cane is a straw harvested from palm trees that grow in abundance across Nigeria.
    The straws are used to make chairs, tables, mats, baskets, shoes and bags. Obaniyi also works with bamboo and water hyacinth.
    His innovative truck took about a year to complete and has been on the road for four years.
    Along with a regular oil change and other routine service checks on the truck, Obaniyi also has to do regular maintenance on the raffia wheel covers and seats.
    Obaniyi who has been in the business for over 20 years says he plans to introduce an apprenticeship program to teach the skill to young people and tap into some fresh talent.
    "I can be training as many as possible like some people that are jobless, they don't have jobs, you go to school, you have a certificate and you don't see government to use it for; if I teach them about my talent, give them little one out of it, under three months, they can do something," Obaniyi said.
    The entrepreneur says that perhaps with more research on his car, environmentally friendly wicker vehicles can be manufactured in future.
    Obaniyi makes about 320 US dollars a month - enough to support his wife and three children.
    The car also gets a lot of attention at home. Residents always stop him to ask questions and comment on the design.
    "Raffia makes baskets used to carry waste, pepper, vegetables and other things and it is so surprising that someone is now using it to make a car," said Rasheed Durodola, a trader on Oyo.
    Obaniyi says a new raffia car would cost about 6,000 dollars.
    He is currently working on a custom made order and dreams of the day his innovation will be marketed beyond Nigeria.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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