04/04/2025
Honouring a Forgotten Genius: Professor Felix Oragwu at 91. The man who powered Biafran aircrafts with palmoil .
Imagine achieving something so groundbreaking that the world catches up 56 years later, yet your name is barely mentioned. That is the story of Professor Felix Oragwu, a brilliant mind who led Biafra’s Research and Production (RAP) team during the war.
At the height of the conflict, while resources were scarce, he and his team developed the famous Ogbunigwe bomb and did something almost unthinkable—they successfully processed palm oil to power a jet airplane. A war-torn nation, cut off from the world, had managed to turn a local resource into aviation fuel!
Yet, after the war, his incredible innovations were buried and forgotten. Fast forward to today, Indonesia is celebrating the same breakthrough—powering an aircraft with palm oil, something Oragwu and his team had already done more than five decades ago.
On March 22, this remarkable man turned 91 years old. It’s not just a birthday; it’s a moment to reflect on the brilliance, resilience, and lost potential of a generation that was ahead of its time.
Professor Oragwu, we celebrate you! May history finally give you the recognition you deserve. Let’s share his story far and wide!
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