Jelani Aliyu, an indigene of Sokoto State, Nigeria, is based in the United States and is General Motors Lead Exterior Designer and the designer of the Chevy Volt. He designed the state-of-the-art electric car for General Motors, the world’s largest automobile makers. The car has been described as an American Revolution and hottest concept in the design line.



Jelani was born in 1966 in Kaduna, to Alhaji Aliya Haidara and Sharifiya Hauwa’u Aliyu. The fifth of seven children, theirs is a very close-knit family. For him, it was an amazing experience growing up in Sokoto, surrounded by the rich culture of the people and the state and enjoying excellent access to the latest and international information.

From 1971 to 1978, he attended Capital School, Sokoto, an excellent school and this served as a very productive educational experience for him. In 1978, he gained admission into Federal Government College, Sokoto, from where he graduated in 1983 with an award as the best in Technical Drawing. Jelani was privileged to meet and make many good friends from all parts of the country and beyond during this time. He had tremendous encouragement and mentoring from his family and friends and his creative art developed. He drew a lot, designed his own cars, and even built scale models of them, complete with exteriors and interiors.

After FGC, he got admission into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Architecture, but soon discovered that the curriculum did not support his future vision and plans. After considering other institutions in Nigeria and their academic programmes, he concluded that only one of them had the study criteria that would support his future goals. The institution in which he chose to pursue his education was one he felt offered the best creative programmes and had experience that would give him the best foundation required to study Automobile Design abroad. That institution was the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic.

He was there from 1986 to 1988 and earned an associate degree in Architecture, with an award as Best All-Round Student. While there, he did some indepth research into home design and construction, looking into materials and structures that would be most compatible with our environment and climate; buildings that would stay cool in a hot environment with little, or no artificial electrical air conditioning.

Upon graduation from the polytechnic, Jelani worked for a while at the Ministry of Works, Sokoto, then in 1990, gained admission in the College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, to study Automobile Design. Having successfully secured sponsorship from the Sokoto Scholarship Board, he left for America to begin his four year degree programme.

Having always wanted to study Automobile Design, this was a dream come true and an absolutely fascinating experience. The course was very practical and emphasis was put on creativity and the development of new designs to provide solutions. While there, he worked on a number of projects in collaboration with some major automobile companies, professionals and executives, including:

- 1992, Mercedes Benz Future Status Symbol Project with the then chief designer, Bruno Sacco.

- 1993, Lear (Major Interior Component Supplies) Minivan Interior Project.

- 1993, Advanced Vehicle Design with Chuck Jordan (Former GM chief designer).

- 1994, Chrysler Exterior and Interior Project.

- 1994, Toyota Future Car Project (thesis).

Further awards gained were one from Ford Motor Company and another from Michelin, USA.

Jelani graduated in 1994 with a degree in Automobile Design and got hired by General Motors to work as the Corporation Design Staff. His first assignment was in the Advanced Studies where future design strategy for the company was explored. He had always been interested in advanced work, as it deals with understanding the market’s future and strategising effective products to make the company competitive and profitable.

In 1997, the company began design work on the Buick Rendezvous, Jelani was the lead interior designer and the vehicle was to be a first of its type for that division. After this, in 1999, he went to Germany to work at Opel, which is a General Motors division in Europe. While there, he worked on Astra, the company’s highest selling vehicle in Europe and Brazil, their most important project. He lived in Wiesbaden, a city just outside of Frankfurt and about thirty minutes from Russelsheim, where the Opel studios were.

Wedding bells rang when in 2001, Jelani Aliyu took Hadiza Dogondaji, also from Sokoto, to be his wife. They presently live in Detroit, Michigan and are blessed with two children, Hauwa’u (Amira) and Aliyu (Mubarak). It was in that same year (2001), that Jelani returned to the US to become senior and lead exterior designer and started work on the Pontiac G6, overseeing its complete exterior design. The G6 is now on sale in America and Canada.

Presently, Mr. Jelani Aliyu is working on a special advance project he describes as being crucial to General Motors as the company moves forward as the largest and number one car company in the world. The project is, of course, highly confidential until the vehicles go on sale.

Of his job, this ingenious young man, who is doing Nigeria proud, says, "Automobile Design is a fascinating field. We conceptualise and design vehicles that people will love and find useful everyday; vehicles that will be emotionally irresistible and practically indispensable."

http://www.amanaonline.com/Editorials/editorial_200.htm

Wow!
Solid news! Not just paper academics, actually doing tangible, valuable stuff. Not bad at all

Apparently Isa Odidi contested for President in 2007, under a platform called New Democrats. Obviously did not get much play down here . . .

The topic title is insulting.

Anywayz, I've always said that the Northerners would be something great if given proper education. There was another /Hausa man that designed one of the best cars late 2009.
I'm proud of these people

^^^^

yep

if only their leaders would stop under-developing them for selfish gains,

it only shows you that with the right access to education, some of the best minds can actually come from the north

(sounds strange to me, but it's fact)

th

Musiwa,:

that one thing i love about the USA, they give everybody that chance . New york exchange. private investment may be better. harassment have stop many nigerian from this. even if you are not a criminal they gave nigerian serious problem. how can we all be criminal.

how can university that look like this produce criminal?. is it possible to use 5 or 6 year in this university now become criminal

Hmmnnn, that was the University that produced Jarus

I have always said ABU is a top uni. But I maintain it is still slightly below UI, OAU and Unilag.

ABU alumin achievement is slightly advantageous due to the quota system. As it is the only top uni in the North and very limited Northerners going into top unis, the pool for the North's quota is concentrated there.

That said, I don't think it is far off the best.

As I always say:

Tier 1A
UI, OAU and Unilag

Tier 1B
ABU, Unilorin, Uniben, UNN and maybe a handful more.

Note: It is tier 1a and 1b, not tier 1 and 2. The difference is not much.

Sagamite:

I have always said ABU is a top uni. But I maintain it is still slightly below UI, OAU and Unilag.

ABU alumin achievement is slightly advantageous due to the quota system. As it is the only top uni in the North and very limited Northerners going into top unis, the pool for the North's quota is concentrated there.

That said, I don't think it is far off the best.

As I always say:

Tier 1A
UI, OAU and Unilag

Tier 1B
ABU, Unilorin, Uniben, UNN and maybe a handful more.

Note: It is tier 1a and 1b, not tier 1 and 2. The difference is not much.

Na you get your mouth sha. ABU! second tier university ? Do you even know where it is ? Your coming here to post names of schools where degrees are sold in the open market as 1st tier universities has destroyed the credibility of that thing you posted. By the way, where is U N N in all this ?

The problem is that the northern youths don't look up people like these as sources of academic inspiration. They would rather put their hope and fortunes on an imam, emir, boko haram etc.

Sagamite:

I have always said ABU is a top uni. But I maintain it is still slightly below UI, OAU and Unilag.

ABU alumin achievement is slightly advantageous due to the quota system. As it is the only top uni in the North and very limited Northerners going into top unis, the pool for the North's quota is concentrated there.

That said, I don't think it is far off the best.

As I always say:

Tier 1A
UI, OAU and Unilag

Tier 1B
ABU, Unilorin, Uniben, UNN and maybe a handful more.

Note: It is tier 1a and 1b, not tier 1 and 2. The difference is not much.

A university is known and rated based on the positive and negative contribution her graduated students make to humanity and not by mere hear say!
ABU grads I have met outside of nigeria in Aerospace, Aeronautics, A-physics and some medical related fields were top notchss!
Can any body confirm this; I read in an international article recently that ABU until recently was the only univeristy in nigeria with a mini-nuvlear reactor for research purposes. UI was the other university mentioned that now has something similar but thiers is for related researches in the medical field.

Alwasys good to hear of nigerians changing thier world positively outside of nigeria. When in the UK when I attend technical experts meetings, it gladens my heart when I look at the faces around the table and I see one or two nigerians even though in my personal observation, we professional nigerians in the UK do not "relate" and cooperate the way the Indians, Pakistanis,Spanish or even Italians do here.

edoyad:

Na you get your mouth sha. ABU!  second tier university ? Do you even know where it is ? Your coming here to post names of schools where degrees are sold in the open market as 1st tier universities has destroyed the credibility of that thing you posted. By the way, where is U N N in all this ?

No be Abeokuta express way ABU dey? 

See me, see wahala. Some of una think say na jand I grow up?

Shine your eyes and you will see UNN in my list.

Omo_Tier1:

A university is known and rated based on the positive and negative contribution her graduated students make to humanity and not by mere hear say!
ABU grads I have met outside of nigeria in Aerospace, Aeronautics, A-physics and some medical related fields were top notchss!

Yep, you are right about contribution.

My point is that you are more likely to see alumni of the top 3 excelling than alumni of ABU, especially outside Nigeria.

ABU strength is mainly within Nigeria, especially in the public sector, since we practice balance of opportunities based on geo-political spread (quota system). Since virtually all the smartest Northerners went to ABU and about half of the opportunities based on quota system go to the North, ABU is highly represented. That said, the top 3 still match ABU in Nigeria's pubic sector despite the fact the one sixth of opportunities (or half, if you add the fact that any of southern Nigeria's brightest will go to them) is spread amongst the 3 unis and one or two other universities (e.g. Unilorin, Uniben, UNN).

Even in the private sector in Nigeria, the top 3's alumni still account for, and dominate in, higher quality contribution more than alumni of ABU.

Musiwa,:

that one thing i love about the USA, they give everybody that chance . New york exchange. private investment may be better. harassment have stop many nigerian from this. even if you are not a criminal they gave nigerian serious problem. how can we all be criminal.

how can university that look like this produce criminal?. is it possible to use 5 or 6 year in this university now become criminal

How is my picture not included in that?

Egbega Egbega o Ebami Gbega o Oba to da University of Ibadan sile ebami gbega ohun lo fi se Olori Ivory towers ni Africa.

dayokanu:

How is my picture not included in that?

lol

So I just found out that Professor Isa Odidi is actually from Edo state!




He's not a Hausa or a Northerner. He's a Muslim from Edo state.

The wife though is a northerner, right? I thought I remember reading that somewhere when this thread first was active

Please we all Nigerians where they come from shouldn't matter but for info sake n for those who care to know Odidi is from Edo state.