On Tomisin Ogunnubi’s invention

ONE unintended consequence of the country’s current economic struggles is that cheering news on other fronts tend to attract marginal coverage in the media. This seems to have been the case with the good news regarding the development of an Android mobile tracking application (‘app’ in popular jargon) by 12-year-old Tomisin Ogunnubi, a student of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Lagos. When the news broke in November last year, it got only a passing mention in the media, nothing more. If there was any enthusiasm about the feat that little Tomisin has accomplished, it was restricted to sections of the social media and among technology aficionados.

Yet, for several important reasons, both inventor and invention deserve greater publicity. First,  the inventor. It is not every day that a 12-year-old, only a few years out of baby diapers, comes out with a stunning accomplishment. However, this is what little Tomisin has done, which shows that she has a special talent. No doubt, being in the kind of moneyed environment that Vivian Fowler Memorial College provides is an incentive to innovation; but it is also true that what little Tomisin has cannot simply be reduced to the environment. What we seem to be dealing with here is that intangible essence called ‘genius’, and while it requires a conducive environment in order to flourish, it is important that it is not unnecessarily interfered with in the name of the same.

While the inventor’s genius must be allowed to express itself, the invention itself must be put to the best use. Among the many delights of Tomisin’s Android mobile tracking application, ‘My Locator,’ is its ability to detect the user’s precise geographic location, which means that it has the potential to save lives in medical and other kinds of emergencies. Potentially, it could also be mobilized for military and strategic uses. It goes without saying, therefore, that ‘My Locator’ would fall into desuetude if not inserted into a broader physical infrastructure. For instance, of what use is a tracking device to someone involved in a medical emergency (a road accident, say), if there are no rescue ambulances? Or well-equipped hospitals?

Though unintended, the challenge that Tomisin Ogunnusi’s invention has put before the nation is the one that every adult Nigerian is familiar with: how does the nation upgrade its physical infrastructure, such that the wastage of lives to which  all Nigerians seem to have become habituated becomes a thing of the past? While the methodology may be disputed, Tomisin Ogunnusi and her invention are a timely reminder that the human capacity has never been lacking. In all walks of life, whether at home or abroad, Nigerians have shown that they are as innovative and entrepreneurial as the best out there. What they continue to lack is the social condition that will enable them to flourish, hence the emigration of Nigeria’s best talents to other countries.

Lastly, and instructively,Tomisin’s invention points to possibilities beyond the current fixation with oil. It is yet another warning shot that the world we live in is changing at a fast pace, and that both the velocity and direction of that change are determined by innovation in the context of an emergent global e-economy. Suffice to say, countries that fail to adapt to these transformations will be left holding the short end of the stick.

We congratulate little Tomisin and Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls for this wonderful achievement, and urge the country’s leaders to learn the necessary lessons. We also encourage other schools to take a cue from Vivian Fowler Memorial College and enter into productive partnerships with willing ICT outfits, so that many more talented youngsters across the nation can come into the limelight and deploy their genius to the advancement of the nation.