BBC Innovators: Meet Tomisin Ogunnubi wey create app to fit help pikin wey loss
Tomisin Ogunnubi wey still be school pikin, na small girl wey get strong desire for programming.
By Ijeoma Ndukwe Three years ago she bin create 'My Locator', one app wey fit epp pikin dem wey loss. Di phone app, wey dey available on top Google Play Store, dem don already download am more than 1,000 times since e first come out for 2016. "Di app fit also link you to Google maps and show you di direction from where you dey now to di place where you bin last save before now," Tomisin, wey don reach 15 years and dey school inside Ikeja, Nigeria, explain. Sharp-sharp ansa "E get where you go press for one alert button. E go send text message and make phone call - dat na if you set am for your settings - to one particular number wey you don assign to am. "E fit be one emergency number or e fit be one family member number. Na just your choice. So in case of emergency, when you need quick reply, di tin go send your address where you dey now to dat number so somebody fit easily locate where you dey." "My mind bin dey ontop security, dey think… e get different dangerous pipo, so I guess di idea to fit go out safely na wetin bring di idea for di app," she explain. "Na wen I dey 12-year-old I begin reason am, 'Ah I just learn how to create applications. What if I use wetin I don learn to create something wey fit dey useful to me and oda pipo?'" Aniedi Udo-Obong, na programme manager for Google. E say Nigerian role models dey lack inside di industry as most pipo for di kontri still dey point fingers to big oga dem like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg as heroes. Tomisin dey hope say her app go help pikin dem wey loss But more graduates don dey re-arrange di sector as wetin fit put food for dia table and start technology company dem, im add. Anedi dey regularly meet pipo wey dey run bizness wey ideas full dia head for dat im Google work. Im job include to dey build relationships with developers to grow di ecosystem across Africa. Im explain say need dey to improve 'My Locator', but e say Tomisin don already make di most important step. "Tomisin app dey totori me for two reasons. I prefer to see products no mata di condition e dey than to hear about idea wey brilliant pass. I like di fact say pesin na im bring di idea inside dia head and fit still bring am to life and complete am", im tok. Junior talent dem Younger students dem for her school dey look Tomisin as role model Tomisin computer science teacher Kofoworola Cole say di girl achievements don affect di school approach to dey teach di subject. E also get beta effect among students wey dey di school. "E give us more courage to fit to start from junior students, normally we bin focus on seniors. But wen Tomisin bin achieve dat idea we sabi say yes e get talents wey dey inside di junior schools," na wetin she tok. Aniedi say greater investment for education dey needed to close di gap wey dey for learning between rich and poor students. "We don see ideas wey bin target primary schools [for] young pikin dem inside oda kontris like Estonia, UK, China, Korea… I get fears say dem go leave us behind if we no make our own pikin dem to begin learn at di same rate wit di same tools and technologies wey dia fellow pikin dem dey use inside oda kontris and oda markets dey learn," na wetin im tok. "Technology na di future and say pesin sabi technology e men say pesin fit solve problems," Tomisin tok. "I get strong desire for am sake of to make difference na something I really like to do." Dis BBC story dem na wit helep moni from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dem make am.