Today’s success story column guest is Habtamu Biru. He was born and raised in Addis Ababa around Kokebe Tsiba School particularly in the area called Kebena. He pursued primary and secondary education at Kokebe Tsiba School. As a child, he was getting himself engaged in a wide variety of automotive repair activities and nothing makes him happier than making a wire car from time to time.
In the same way, as his dad was making a living by fixing a range of materials and other related aspects the idea of repairing various things was simply popping every so often into his mind. He was constantly adopting the method of trial and error for the sake of fixing diverse things.
The instant Habtamu completed high school, he studied Auto Mechanic and thus he made his childhood dream become a reality in a little while.
Though he was excellent at literature, he did not want to pursue other areas of interest at any cost. He had gone through quite a lot of best fiction and nonfiction books. At this moment in time, he owns two unpublished books.
Habtamu had invented a smell reduction material for buses and an Automatic Remote Control car window cover, which helps shield rays of a scorching sun, for which The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office had issued a license.
To the surprise of everyone, Habtamu’s fruitful creativity has begun winning the hearts and minds of most of his clients since his childhood. His parents had given the best start in life. He had successfully worked in different organizations over and over again.
There is no stone he had left unturned to reach where he is in at the present day. As the road of life is rocky, he had passed through many twists and turns. Moreover, Habtamu had faced uncountable challenges in addition to experiencing ups and downs.
Whatever happens, he gives thanks always and for everything. He is working as a driving instructor and an Auto Mechanic at this point in time. Whenever he comes across societal problems, he does not hesitate to hunt for a solution at the stroke of a pen. He believes in the adage necessity is the mother of invention.
Pertaining to this invention, Habtamu said, “When one faces a problem one comes up with a solution in a short time. Unless one comes across a problem, one cannot come up with a solution. I love getting to the bottom of peoples’ problem by bringing into play my own creativity. I have the courage to say, I am nothing unless I serve the general public with my God given knowledge.”
As Ethiopian mothers use old system to make Injera from time immemorial, Habtamu made up his mind to do something which makes their lives simpler and easier. Hence, he invented a machine which makes forty Injera per minute. However, at that point in time, he was not given a license from the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office given that he could not get a way of covering the hole at the center of the Injera.
His next move was making an Automatic Remote Control car cover which shields the rays of burning sun. It took him more than six months to complete the invention. In due course, the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office issued a license to him.
Habtamu could not put his invention into effect on the grounds of financial constraints. He needs somebody who could help him put into effect his invention after a short time so that he can make the lives of Ethiopian mothers trouble-free.
Afterward, Habtamu invented the bus-exuded-misma reduction gadget for thronged buses. As a matter of fact, he did not come up with the invention out of the blue. The thing was, he had a friend working in the Anbessa City Bus Service Enterprise. Every so often, his friend was in the habit of coughing. When Habtamu asked him the reason behind his cough, he told him that the less hygienic and overcrowded Daf buses could be ascribable to the cause.
Filled with so many emotions, Habtamu headed straight to his friend’s working place and as a result he soon realized the problem and the solution was so easy.
As Habtamu knows pneumatic energy like the palm of his hand, he could not fail to find the solution in a short time. Almost immediately, he went straight to the enterprise and signed a memorandum of understanding and reached an agreement with the enterprise to undertake studies on three buses for free.
In due course, as he proved that he could get to the bottom of the bus problem, he began working with a certain company in joint venture. With regard to the money, something unexpected came to pass. There was somebody who was assigned from the same place in conjunction with other pertinent bodies.
Cost wise, Habtamu wanted to charge 30,000 Birr for each bus. But members of the company, which had affiliation with the unreformed government, longed to charge 50,000 Birr. As Habtamu did not want to charge more than thirty thousand Birr, friction occurred between the two. Hence, the members got furious and embarked on pounding and intimidating Habtamu.
According to Habtamu as all the materials used to fix the problem of the car was available here in Ethiopia, thirty thousand Birr was a sufficient amount. But the displeased ones kept on chasing and assailing him. He was on the horns of a dilemma.
Be that as it may, once upon a time, Habtamu’s wife gave birth. He did not have a penny at that specific point. All of a sudden, one of the members of the company gave him a call and arranged to meet. When he went there, they gave him10, 000 Birr saying, “Sorry, we delayed your work. We are giving you this money for the benefit of solving your housekeeping money problem.”
When Habtamu saw the amount of the money in his hand, he could not believe his eyes. As he was happy as pig in mug, he left his telephone there and hurried straight home and narrated the whole story.
After sometime, when Habtamu realized the whereabouts of his phone, he went back to the office where he had left his phone and received it. Then, he set in motion listening to the recordings on his telephone. He had the habit of leaving the recorder open. He headed a recorded voice that “We will kill him before he finishes the ten thousand Birr.”
Having taking council with his wife pertaining to the situation, he made up his mind to go to Sinkuru Church to take a Holly Water treatment. As a result, Habtamu got up early in the morning and headed straight there for the love of distancing himself from the area and saving his life.
As the furious members could not find the whereabouts of Habtamu, they ended up throwing Habtamu’s mother into prison. Later upon realizing the fact that Habtamu was attending holly water, they kept on going there time and again.
After Habtamu took council together with himself, he painted his face white and tied himself with a dog-tying chain and started howling at the top of his voice and gobbling down anything he got around the area. The spies assigned to follow Habtamu’s situation got convinced that he had got off his rocker and gave up spying him time and again. Thus, relived of the spies, he left for Kenya and set in motion making a living getting him involved in various petty businesses.
All things considered, just before the reform, he came back to Ethiopia and embarked on making money getting himself in various automotive repair activities.
At this point in time, he is a driving instructor apart from getting himself involved in the business of replacing generators’ noise with something pleasant to the ears and other related aspects pertaining to his profession.
The Ethiopian Herald June 23, 2019
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
