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.
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