Published 5th Apr, 2024

A Nigerian named Samuel Yakubu has invented the WATTer Lamp, a device that combines water and salt to produce light.

Yakubu, who is from Bida in Kaduna State, is supplying light to many homes through his invention.

He told FIJ that when he unveiled his first invention in 2005, his goal was simple: ensure that everybody could afford to illuminate their homes regardless of their location.

“My target when I started was about light. I wanted to ensure that anybody could afford to run it, access it, irrespective of their social status or location,” he told FIJ.

“Not everyone can afford to run generators or install solar systems in their homes, but with this, people won’t have to worry about darkness.”

EVOLUTION FROM KEROSENE

Yakubu said his WATTer Lamp evolved from being powered with kerosene, unripe fruits and rechargeable batteries to ordinary salt and water.

The lamp uses a light-emitting diode (LED), which provides the light once the salt and water solution has been added. This solution, a mixture of one teaspoon of salt and water, can last up to 70 days before it is replaced.

“We first succeeded with the lamp in 2003, when we started using kerosene lamps. We manufactured that one alongside using battery and were selling it to people,” he told FIJ.

“Later, we heard that there was energy in unripe fruits; we tried but soon discovered it was not enough to power a bulb. We tried so many things to get light, and salt and water was one of them.

“What we were looking for at the time was a way to harness every energy we could find. We made progress when we succeeded in lighting one LED bulb we picked from the flashlight of a mobile phone.”

The inventor said his WATTer Lamp came to life after he sent the prototype to China and his product was modified into what it is today.

“In 2011, I sent a prototype to China for production through someone I met via Ali Express. I shared the raw materials with them and they began production, but I could not reach them until 2023.

“In 2023, I was eventually able to travel to China; we reached an agreement and I returned to Nigeria with some of the products.”

Using Yakubu’s water and salt lamp is easy; one just has to pour the solution into the lantern bag, shake it well and, in less than a minute, have light.

ARRESTED BY THE NIGERIAN ARMY

Yakubu told FIJ that his desire to see that every home is lit up landed him in trouble with the Nigerian Army, as he was accused of bomb fabrication.

“I started selling the lantern in 2003 in Suleja. Many people bought it at the time and I was able to buy a car, which I used to transport the product to different places. However, things went downhill after I ran into someone who posed as an investor and ruined the entire business,” he said.

“I started all over but was arrested in 2013 by the Nigerian Army. They accused me of being a Boko Haram suspect and burned everything I owned, even though I was released the same day they picked me up.

“They said what I was doing was similar to bomb fabrication and the way I worked in my workshop constantly called for attention.”

SALT AND WATER POWER BANK

Beyond ensuring that there is light in every home, Yakubu is hoping to produce powerbanks that use the same salt and water solution to charge mobile phones. He also hopes to set up his factory in Nigeria so he won’t have to always send his raw materials to China.

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