By Joseph Joy and Amarachi Daniel

Enugu – On Saturday, November 23rd, 2024, Professor Cyprain Mgbachi was the cynosure of all eyes during the 20th Convocation ceremony of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT.

Invariably, he might not have envisaged it. But he became the man of the moment, when the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah announced a grant of N50 million to him to perfect technology of the invention for commercialization.

Shortly after His Excellency’s speech, the ESUT Alumni Association also made a donation of one million Naira.

As if that wasn’t all, Dr Bernd Bergmair of Austria, who received his Honorary Award, announced a donation of N52 million to support Professor Mgbachi Cyprain in the technology perfection and commercialization process of his invention; Cooking Stove Cellphone Battery Charger.

The inventor spoke to ESUT Monitor Newspaper in an exclusive interview on his invention, challenges, the donations and prospects.

Excerpts:

Profile

I am Engineer Professor Cyprain Mgbachi Anayochukwu Christian. I am of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, ESUT. I hail from Ezeagu Local Government in Enugu State. I have OND, B. Eng, M. Eng, and Ph. D in Electrical Engineering. I am into lecturing, research and inventions. I have had many inventions, one of which has been patented. Out of these researches and inventions, I have published more than forty-three articles in both national and international journals. I am a member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, (COREN), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Enugu State Coordinator of Association of Nigeria Inventors (ANI).

In the Beginning

When I was younger, doing things like trying to put things together was part of me, starting from renewable energy to other automation. So, it was when electricity became too difficult to access in 2018 that I came across something like this. I said, “Everything will be okay for us”. I started researching, kept developing, and I even wrote two journals on this heat-to-electricity conversion. Then, I knew that it can be possible. The Heat can either be from the sun, it can be from  a cooking stove or it can be from the oven, but I now had to start with heat of the cooking stove. This is because many people make uses of cooking stove.

This lack of electricity is more in the rural areas. I had to package it in a way that people in rural areas, even beyond, and nomadic people can be charging their phones. it can be seen that the cellphones have become so indispensable in Africa, in the world. If we don’t use it for torchlight, we use it for radio, we use it for making and receiving calls, we use it for browsing the internet; we use it for writing text messages. The phone has become very indispensable among our people, both in rural areas and in towns. Because of the demands and needs, I have to bend down and research on it. That’s how I’ve been doing it. Today, by God’s grace, I was able to come out with a cooking stove that, while you’re cooking, you will be charging your phone at the same time.

First time of experiment

At the first time of experiment, I was just doing it to keep myself busy. I didn’t know it was going to work.

As a scientist, and engineer, I just believed on the principle of thermocouple. I began to connect lead wire and copper wire to try the experiment. I began to use candlelight to heat up the joint and it was giving me very tiny voltage. This principle was recorded in 1885 when a scientist invented. As time went on, people began to work on it; it wasn’t easy. But I was doing it as pass time or delight. Since 2018, it was the first time I started inventing this thing.

Do you use it currently in your house?

Yes, the PROTOTYPE-II.  We’ll give it out to the market domain once His Excellency sees and launches it. I’m upgrading to higher prototypes now because you know, before it can go to the market, it must be something that is market-worthy. People need to see it solving their problem. What we are using now is the one that you can see in the lab.

Discouraging times

The discouragement is even on my own self. I don’t know where I’m going, but something kept pushing me to try different options. I spend money and time to do it. I was not getting the expected results initially. I keep doing it, but I’m not getting what I wanted. But something is pushing me to still do it, until the first time I got voltage out of it I was very happy. When I came back, I didn’t know what I did when the voltage came out. I left it, after some time, I go back there again, now I’m beginning to get enough voltage to charge phones, even to charge computer laptop batteries. With time, we can make the ones that can be charging motor batteries. By going to areas like the bakeries, where you can have enough heat to be able to charge bigger batteries. For us to go into marketing, you’re talking about, we have to verify market sizes, and stove will be going into different market sizes as well.

Side effects

Yes and No, the explosion side of it would come when you put the phone close to the kitchen or the stove. From our research, you are meant to put your stove in the kitchen and connect a wire when you want to charge your phone. If the voltage drops, you add what we call ‘a voltage amplifier’, so you can charge your phone and power bank. The only thing that can cause an explosion is when you put your phone close to the stove.

Usable by students?

For students in the hostel, they can extend their wire from the veranda to inside their room. Distance is key to avoid explosion as I said. Remember, even when you use your gas cylinder in cooking, you are not expected to keep your phone close by.

Meeting the Governor

His Excellency Barr. Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s 50 million, Dr. Bernd Bergmair’s 52 million and ESUT Aluminai’s 1 million donations to perfect the technology of our Cooking- Stove- Cellphone- Battery-Charger invention were the motivations needed and we are ever grateful toHis Excellency.  We are moving forward to diversify the market in order to meet different people’s needs. For example, the one for students and commercial users.

Next Step

We are now at the stage commercialization. Producing it in larger quantities and the way it would suit a very wide market of users.

Does ESUT have the equipment for mass production?

ESUT has some, but for commercialization, no. We are partnering with other engineering firms around. Just make it meet the needs global market.

Would you say that this invention is the definition of your career?

When I got my other qualifications and awards, I was happy, but when this one came out, I was more than happy and grateful to God almighty. My students have used it for their project, which was expository. And even for some of our postgraduate students’ thesis. This is the height of my career, I am delighted.

What did you tell His Excellency at the podium?

 I nearly missed this golden opportunity during the exhibition on 19th November.  I thank God for Professor Martin  Anikwe, the chairman convocation committee who directed that I should be given the microphone. Immediately I collected it, I told His Excellency that this stove can charge your phone, and I gave him the phone, and he saw that the phone was charging. His Excellency’s attention was then on our product.

It was a defining moment for ESUT and we hope that with His Excellency’s support, ESUT will break more grounds on technological breakthroughs.

May we use this golden opportunity to express our undiluted regards and gratitude to His Excellency, Barr. Dr. Peter Ndubisi Mbah, Chairman of ESUT Council, Sir. Chinyeaka Ohah, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius Micheals-Okorie, ESUT management team and Chairman ESUT 20^th convocation/ceremonies committee.

May God keep them