Tomisin Jasmin Ogunnubi – Nigeria’s Top 10 Wonder Kids

Inventor of app to find lost children

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, was once reported to have said, in admiration of the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerian youths, that the country is blessed with highly focused youths who, in the future, “will emerge as Nigeria’s industry captains and will become tomorrow’s giants like Bill Gates and the Google guys, among others”.

It is doubtful if Zuckerberg had Tomisin Ogunnubi in mind when he made the statement that will become a prophecy foretold sooner than expected. But unbeknown to him, a Nigerian wonder kid has achieved a breakthrough that has the potential to contribute significantly to the country’s technological advancement.

Tommisin, a 12-year old pupil of Vivian Fowler Memorial College in Surulere, Lagos, at the time, designed an android mobile tracking application, known as My Locator, to help a lost child find his or her way back home. Her breakthrough is evidence of how to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.

A partnership between her school and New Horizon Computer Learning Centre had exposed her to the necessary knowledge and computer skills she needed to develop an application to solve a problem she had noticed in the area where she lives.

The app, which is available for free download from the Google Play Store, enables its user to see exactly where he or she is, with clear highlights of the surrounding roads and streets. It allows users to save the locations of their homes and school, with detailed routes showing how to get to those places.

The device also has an alert button which, when pressed, calls the Lagos State Emergency number, 767, showing the location of the distressed child, to allow for rescue.

Tommisin’s technological breakthrough wasn’t happenstance. It reflected a high intellect that is capable of manifesting greater things. A proof that her invention wasn’t a fluke, Tommisin passed out of Vivian Fowler with 16 merits, which included Best Graduating Student.