Nigerian web browser duo

Osine Ikhianosime 13, and Anesi Ikhianosime 15, are born of same parents and both are Year 9 and 11 students of Greensprings School, Anthony Campus, Lagos. While both brothers write code, Anesi designs the user interface.Osine and Anesi launched the mobile browser on the Mobango app store before moving to Google Play Store to try […]

Osine Ikhianosime 13, and Anesi Ikhianosime 15, are born of same parents and both are Year 9 and 11 students of Greensprings School, Anthony Campus, Lagos. While both brothers write code, Anesi designs the user interface.Osine and Anesi launched the mobile browser on the Mobango app store before moving to Google Play Store to try and reach a wider audience. The browser currently has around 100 to 500 downloads.  The
Duo began developing the web browser about a year ago out of boredom.  It was gathered that due to their strong interest in technology, they decided to create a functional, fast browser for feature and low end phones because, according to them, “We were fed up with Google Chrome.” Osine who spoke to TechCabal in his pitch mail said: ‘’I write the code, my brother designs it.”Osine’s interest in computers began at the age of seven and it was also at that age that he and his brother, Anesi Ikhianosime, who was nine at the time, came up with the idea of starting a company.
Osine said: “When we decided to learn to code at age 12 and 14 respectively, I didn’t let my uncle’s belief that it would be a tough feat to achieve deter me.” On his part, Anesi said: “I learnt to code by myself. I started in 2013,I used sites like Code Academy, Code Avengers and books like ‘Android for Game Development’ and ‘Games for Dummies’. 
Meanwhile, their mother, Mrs Ngozi Ikhianosime, who is a Mathematics teacher said: “Osine could already use a PC before he could read at age three. It is all he does since he learnt to code.”We commend the young boys for their ingenuity and for putting Nigeria on the map of countries doing exploits in Information Technology. It is true that the awareness to the use of computers is growing rapidly in Nigeria, but we must also note that not all those who use it do so for positive ventures. This feat by Osime and Anesi is the result of focus.
The teenagers have shown that with determination and focus, a lot can be achieved. Young Nigerians should take a cue from these boys and channel their energies to good use. They should not see the computer as an avenue for idle chats only.  Youths must realize that they can achieve a lot if they are focused and avoid all forms of distraction. They should enhance their reading skills and endeavor to be more resourceful. Parents and guardians must also learn to be more attentive and support their children/wards to succeed in their areas of interest, rather and impose their choices on them. One of the two brothers could operate the system even before he could read at the age of three and according to an expert in children psychology, early exposure to items/ equipment helps a lot in assimilation and molding a child towards a set objective.  Therefore, the decision by the federal government to make computer education compulsory at the primary level is commendable, but it must go a step further by ensuring that the policy is fully implemented. At the moment, many schools in Nigeria lack computers and even those that have the equipment, have little or no access to electricity to power them. In some instances, the computers are available, but no qualified teachers to teach the pupils/ students how to use them.  This should serve as a wake-up call for the government and policy makers. They must be reminded of their role in the development of children in the country.
Professor Olu Jegede, a lecturer at the Institute of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University said: “Illiteracy is now beyond being able to read and write. Once computer education is out of it, that person is an illiterate. Very few of the schools that have access to computers also have access to the internet and that is a very big problem.”   Necessary learning materials should be provided in institutions, especially public institutions. The trend now is to see students of private institutions excelling while their counterparts in public schools lag behind. That should not be the case; public schools should be well equipped, to provide equal opportunity to all students. The world has gone digital and any society that is serious cannot afford to be seen to be lagging behind in the area of Information Technology.