*Photo: Eniola Shokunbi with her invention*
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has expressed great pride for Eniola Shokunbi, a 12-year-old Nigerian-American girl, who has made a remarkable scientific feat.
Dabiri-Erewa commended Shokunbi, who invented a low-cost (costs $60) air purifier. The invention, tested by the University of Connecticut and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was proven to remove 99 percent of airborne viruses.
The device won a $11.5 million grant from the Connecticut State Bond Commission to produce and install the air purifiers in all schools across the state, as a result.
According to the Chairman, “Eniola Shokunbi is a shining example of the incredible potential of young Nigerians; an evidence of the “can-do” Nigerian spirit, and an embodiment of excellence that is Nigeria’s trademark”.
The NiDCOM Boss notes the young Nigerian inventor has made her mark in the history of science and medicine, which will go a long way toward improving lives, creating jobs, and providing alternative means to quality healthcare.
Dabiri-Erewa hopes Shokunbi becomes a symbol of inspiration to not only young Nigerians, home and in the diaspora, but also to all youths globally.
Eniola Shokunbi, the young inventor, is a fifth-grade student at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, Connecticut.
The equipment, which was created for the purpose of a school science project, in the event of another pandemic arose, quickly became a scientific breakthrough, worth international recognition.
Congratulations to this young promising Nigerian. Hope our politicians who are busy embezzling our commonwealth and improvishing young Nigerian students at home will stop their wicked acts. I am sure that if the invention were to be in Nigeria, it will never see the light of the day, not to talk of government investing in it.