At 15, Tinafi Akawu does not see the world the way most
people do, yet he is building technology that helps others navigate it more
safely, confidently, and independently. Born with congenital nystagmus, a
condition that causes the eyes to move uncontrollably, his vision has been
impaired from birth and doctors told his mother there was no cure. Instead of
allowing that reality to limit him, Tinafi learned to understand the world
through sound, curiosity, and logic, turning personal challenges into tools that
help others with visual impairment.
The first sign that something was wrong appeared a week
after his birth. When a neighbour visited his mother, Elizabeth Akawu, she
joked that the baby seemed to be “eyeing” her. Elizabeth laughed, but days
later, when she tried to make eye contact with her son, she noticed his eyes
did not follow her movement as there was no visual connection.
At first, she did not think it was serious but she later
mentioned it to a neighbour who was an ophthalmologist. After checking the
baby’s eyes, he advised placing him close to light. Hoping it would help,
Elizabeth followed the advice and exposed Tinafi to light from an incandescent
bulb. Instead of improving, his condition worsened and she then took him to the
hospital, and when Tinafi was two years old, doctors diagnosed congenital
nystagmus. They explained that his eyes had not developed properly in the womb and
that the condition had no cure.
Elizabeth refused to let the diagnosis define her son’s
future. She named him Tinafi, meaning “We have given back to God,” choosing
faith and determination over fear.
Tinafi’s early development surprised his mother. He began
walking at one year and five months, even earlier than his elder sister.
Elizabeth had worried that his poor vision would slow him down, but instead, he
moved confidently. As a toddler, he lived freely, unaware that he was
different.
That awareness came when he started school. Before then, he
lived without self-doubt. In the classroom, some children mocked him and called
him blind.
“When I was five and before I went to school, I lived a
normal life,” Tinafi said. “It was only when I got to school that it hit me.
Some kids would say, ‘Look at this blind guy.’ I started asking myself, ‘Am I
actually blind?’”
His mother’s words helped shape his confidence. She
repeatedly told him that he was not blind and that he should never allow other
people’s opinions to limit him. Tinafi says that encouragement shaped the
person he is today.
Elizabeth believes every child, disabled or not, is born
with talent, and that parents must discover and nurture those gifts.
Tinafi’s interest in technology began early. At five, he
constantly asked his mother questions, how phone calls travel from one city to
another, how voices are recorded and replayed, and how devices work. He often
picked up her phone and tapped around, learning through sound and trial.
His curiosity took a clearer path in Primary 4 when a
computer teacher introduced him to programming. Although the teacher did not
code, the idea alone fascinated Tinafi. He often visited the teacher after
class to ask questions and learn more.
Using a smartphone and text-to-speech software, Tinafi
taught himself how to code. He watched tutorials, took online courses, and
listened as his screen read out every line of text. Over time, he learned how
programming works. By secondary school, he asked his school for permission to
write exams on a computer. The school agreed, allowing him to type his answers
while assistive software read the questions aloud.
A turning point came one day when Tinafi needed to get to
class and no one was available to guide him. The school compound had open
drains and obstacles that made movement dangerous for someone with poor vision.
“I kept thinking, why must I always depend on someone?” he
said. “Why not have an app that can guide you and warn you about obstacles?”
That thought led to T-Vision, an AI-powered navigation app
for the visually impaired. The app responds to voice commands, guides users to
destinations, warns them about obstacles, and describes their surroundings and it can read text on signs and billboards and recognise faces.
If a user takes a picture of someone, the app can later
identify that person and describe their position, such as saying the person is
nearby and in which direction. Tinafi describes T-Vision as a guide, a
companion, and a visual assistant that helps blind people move independently.
His second major idea came from a painful experience. After
eating a meal offered to him, Tinafi became seriously ill. He suffered severe
vomiting and diarrhoea for several days and was diagnosed with food poisoning.
The illness nearly took his life.
“It was very serious,” he said. “I almost lost my life. I
kept thinking that people shouldn’t die because of poisoned food.”
That experience inspired a food poisoning detection system.
The app works with a second device called an electronic nose. By taking a
picture of food and scanning it, the system can analyse it and warn users if it
has been poisoned, identifying the harmful substance before the food is eaten.
Tinafi designed it to prevent deaths from both accidental and deliberate
poisoning.
Music is another important part of Tinafi’s life. Recording
under the name Tinafi JAY, he has released over 10 songs. His latest song, Dear
God, praises God’s creation, while another unreleased track, New Names,
criticises how society changes the names of wrong actions to make them seem
acceptable.
His mother says his love for music began early, even as a
toddler strapped to her back, Tinafi would hum melodies, surprising people
around him.
He is also working on a third app idea that will help
musicians. The app is designed to act as a virtual music producer, helping
singers stay on key, create beats, and find inspiration.
Today, Elizabeth Akawu encourages other parents of children
with disabilities. Many tell her they admire what Tinafi has achieved.
“These children are not empty,” she said. “They come with
gifts. If parents don’t help them discover those gifts, they have failed them.
Dependency takes away dignity.”
Raising Tinafi as a single mother has not been easy.
Financial difficulties once forced them to stop medical treatment because
repeated tests were expensive. They have only recently returned to the hospital
for new examinations, and the results are still pending.
Despite the challenges, Tinafi continues to grow and push
forward. His mother describes him as curious, confident, and hard to
intimidate. He spends much of his time researching, building ideas, and holding
deep conversations, often with adults rather than his peers.
At 15, Tinafi’s apps are now in the patent process, with
detailed notes and records to protect his ideas. He represents a new generation
of young Nigerians who refuse to be defined by physical limitations and instead
focus on skills, innovation, and impact.
His advice to other visually impaired young people is
simple: do not give up and follow your passion. For parents, he urges steady
support and encouragement and for Nigerian youth as a whole, his message is
clear.
“The future is digital. The future is AI. If young people
don’t have digital skills, they will be left behind.”
Born with eyes that cannot see clearly, Tinafi Akawu has
chosen a different kind of vision, one that helps others move through life with
safety, independence, and dignity.
