X(formerly twitter) recently resurfaced a story first carried in an old Nigerian newspaper now digitised by Archivi.ng. It was about Mudashiru Ayeni, a young inventor in 1971, who built the Mudagraph, a device that answered whether “the boss” was available. Today, it would pass for a basic chatbot, buy in his time, it earned him a psychiatric evaluation. There are no public records of what became of him. No patents. No company. No archive beyond the scanned pages. And he was not alone. In the 1990s, several Nigerian students were building machines with locally sourced materials. Seyi Osundahunsi, a Ladoke Akintola University of Technology student, reportedly developed a hydrogen-powered engine intended to replace petrol vehicles. He faced resistance from the National Automotive Council and from players in the local automobile sector. There was no pathway from prototype to production. A 1991 newspaper article titled “Any Reward for Local Invention?” profiled Adewumi Owolabi, who built a vehicle-type fire extinguisher. He described setbacks, including offers of help that required surrendering credit for his work. The same report referenced other efforts of that era, like Radio Mbaise in Imo State, and a proposed sickle cell treatment tagged ‘Orin Ata’ by Prof. Faforowa of Obafemi Awolowo University. The ideas exist, but the structures present today were lacking then. Exhibitions without ecosystems In 1989, Lagos hosted a Science and Technology Week. Among the exhibits was an indigenous four-wheel vehicle developed by Projects Development Institute (PRODA). In 2005, the Lagos State Government organised the first Lagos Science Festival. Student prototypes reportedly recorded 80–90% functional success rates. Some projects received international recognition. A photophone won gold at the Eskom Expo 2000; a neighbourhood security system built by Obanikoro Adekunle, an SS3 student, reportedly won silver at Eskom Expo 2004. A lie detector was also exhibited. The exhibitions simply showed the average Nigerian capacity, but they did not translate into visible technology companies or research institutions. In 1990, 26-year-old Kenneth Ettoh designed an anti-theft system to prevent transmission pipeline vandalism, a problem still present in telecommunications infrastructure. His work attracted then-president Olusegun Obasanjo and was described as the most outstanding invention of that year. He reportedly had to resign from his job to pursue patenting. Some inventors did receive institutional backing. Colonel Oviemo Ovadje developed the Emergency Automated (Blood) Transfusion (EAT) device at a military hospital in Lagos. It enabled recovery and reinfusion of a patient’s blood during surgery. The device received approval from the World Health Organization and support from the United Nations Development Programme, alongside a government grant. The difference between those who got support was visibility and institutional standing. It seemed high-profile inventors secured backing while student and independent builders often stalled. When policy blocked possibility A later report titled “Backwardness Unlimited” published by PM News . Several letters by Nigerians all over the country espoused on how the government hinders efforts of inventions and discoveries in the country. It covered claims that a Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka had developed an HIV cure vaccine. He did offer to be infected and then cured by the vaccine, but around the same period, the government banned locally manufactured AIDS vaccines. This revealed the tension between government regulation and innovation. Whether through bureaucracy, scepticism, or policy shifts, many projects did not scale. Many of these inventions and innovation stories ended at exhibitions and in newspapers. It was only that of col.Ovadje that was expounded across Nigeria. Many of them were unable to secure patents. The students of today Most of the inventors of the 80s and 90s were students. They built engines, detectors, medical devices, and communication systems. They wrote letters to ministries. They sought patents. Today, the federal government has established programs such as the FGN-ALAT and the ongoing 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT), aiming to train 3 million Nigerians in technological skills. But even in the 90s, Nigeria did not lack youths with the skills. It lacked the facilities for continuity, which makes it feel like technology disappeared to be born again in this era.
