10 Technologies That Brought Independence To Nigerians

Today, Nigerians will be celebrating the 62nd Independence of their beloved country. However, we cannot talk about Nigeria’s independence without the theme of freedom.

What is freedom?

Simply put, freedom means the state of not being enslaved.

Back in the days, there were a lot of things that were done that felt like it was the best at the time. However, we later realised they had their limitations. And, people also realised that things could have been done way easier and just good.

Meanwhile, many things have changed and are still changing from the time when Nigeria’s Independence happened in 1960 to this current period and technology is not left out.

For some of the changes that have occurred in the nation, technology has played a significant role in making those changes happen. These technologies have made life better and easier. And the changes have affected every sector of the country’s economy, including health, finance, transport, agric, education, communication, etc.

In this article therefore, we would be reviewing some of the technological changes that brought independence to Nigerians.

Below are 10 technologies that have changed several sectors in the Nigerian industries. They have left a huge mark and are advancing.

• Aneroid monitor

This is one of the many technological innovations that have made life easy for many Nigerians. In terms of its portability nature, it has brought independence to many Nigerians.

People no longer have to visit the hospital to check and monitor their blood pressures or pulses. They can do that from the comfort of their homes using the Aneroid.

With technologies like this, patients, including those in Nigeria, began and have continued to manage any health conditions they have and keep a record of them too. Also, this medical technology helps doctors properly keep track of the health conditions of a patient if the need be.

Technologies like the Aneroid Monitor has helped advance the health sector of Nigeria. This is because people can easily detect when their blood pressures are high through daily checkups at home. Also, this helps people quickly attend to issues before they escalates.

• Smartphones/ Mobile phone

The emergence of the smartphones is another breakthrough that brought a level of independence to Nigerians, freeing them from the use of analogue landlines to the adoption of a digital gadgets system. 

Landlines were among the first communication technologies that came to solve issues for Nigerians. Nevertheless, landlines could only receive and make calls. Asides from that, they were not mobile-friendly.

However, with new technologies like smartphones, they can easily be carried around without any form of trouble.

These days, people can’t leave their houses without their phones. So, it made so much sense to have a communication gadget that they can carry anywhere they go.

Another thing is that smartphones are not only limited to receiving and making phone calls.

They can now do so much more than that with the influence of the internet.

People can now connect with long-lost friends, share images, and folders, create memories and so much more.

Also, the ways of communication through smartphones are not limited.

A person could decide to make voice calls or make visual calls that allow them to see who they are speaking with.

They can also send text messages, and emails and leave messages through social platforms.

Truly, technology has played a role in helping people easily communicate and reach people and smartphones have, therefore, helped solidify Nigerians’ independence.

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• Social media

The entertainment industry in Nigeria has taken a different turn with the coming of the social media.

Social media platforms have done more than connect people. They have also helped people grow their businesses and even own businesses, liberating them from what we can operationally term slavery of not owning and running businesses. 

With the invention of Social media, publicity and advertising of goods and services have been made easier. 

Many customers are online so most businesses are going online to leverage this. 

They can promote their content and target them to their potential customers.

Some social platforms have taken initiative to create features enabling the promotion and sales of products.

People no longer need to have physical shops or go one on one with individuals to promote their products.

All they need to do is take pictures and upload them on the platform for promotion.

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• Online banking

Technology has helped Nigerians secure independence. Independence from having to stay in banks’ long queues to withdraw money or leaving their homes to send and receive money.

With the introduction of online banking, people can easily receive funds without visiting any bank.

They can send and receive funds from the comfort of their homes.

Also, they can pay for items online.

The interesting part is that with the introduction of fintech, people can open bank accounts online without visiting a bank to stay hours to fill out a form.

They can send funds within and across the boarder seamlessly. They can also have several investment plans.

Some financial technologies that have made life easier for people include mobile money, virtual cards, USSD code, and digital bank apps.

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• Ecommerce website

With the creation of online platforms like Konga, Jumia, and Jiji, for instance, shopping has been made easier for. Igerians. Nigerians no longer need to leave their houses to shop for groceries at supermarkets. They can save more time, energy and resources by purchasing them online and the items would be delivered to them at their homes.

With the internet and the creation of an e-commerce website, people can go to their phones, select the items they want and get them delivered to their doorsteps.

This is independence! It is freedom from stress too. It is life made easy as it also reduces the number of people who have to transport to a place in a day to get things. 

• Tillage Equipment

They are agricultural equipment or tools that help in breaking the soil and preparing it for planting.

It also helps in lifting, inverting, string, packing and uprooting weeds. This is one agricultural innovation that has brought independence to Nigerians too as it makes work easier for farmers.

Mechanised farming has freed Nigerians from subsistence farming that yield little result yet consumes too much energy and time.

Usually, tools like holes and cutlass were used by farmers for tilling the soil but those crude tools are not very efficient. 

However, with the introduction of advanced tillage equipments like ploughs, harrows, disks, cultivators, and rollers, farming can be done easier.

It reduces the need for manpower, it is a lot quicker and more effective. 

This is freedom; it is independence!

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• BRT buses and cards

With the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit system, the transportation sector in Nigeria has taken a different turn. 

BRT buses and cards are technological innovations introduced in Lagos of Nigeria, that have helped make transportation easier. With the traffic situation in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos, this is one innovation that many Nigerians have embraced.

People no longer have to spend so much time on the road and this is because there are dedicated bus lanes separate for BRT buses.

If you face the popular Lagos traffic which sometimes can keep you at a spot for hours, you would know that BRT bus system truly brought independence to the people.

Meanwhile, the BRT system also allows Nigerians to quickly travel around the city and reach their destinations in due times.

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• Television and Radio

We are in the information age and one of the technologies that have aided the spread of information is these communication ecosystem are the radio and television. 

Television is mainly to show visual contents while the radio is for audio contents.

These platforms have effectively been able to serve Nigerians for years and have freed them from being information starved.

Information can be on different issues like entertainment, music, politics, health, etc.

Although Television and radio are not the only media for passing information, they are technologies that have liberated , including Nigerians, from information outages. They have been existing over the years and are still existing.

They have evolved and have become more accessible to people.

Meanwhile, we now have online radios and people could watch any TV channel that they want from their phones even without being at home.

• Inverter

The Nigerian energy sector has also experienced independence in form of a technological sway, thanks to the introduction of inverters. In a country where electricity is not constant even though it is needed to do certain things, inverters have become backup plans.

Inverters can come in several forms and ways. There are solar inverters and electrical inverters. The solar inverter uses the sun to charge while the electric one uses electricity.

They usually have a battery max that enables them to power certain gadgets or devices in the location. Depending on what you need to power, the type of inverter that you buy must cater for it.

Nigerians who have bought and adopted such technology have the liberty to enjoy light even when the power in their area is not up.

• Meeting platforms (Zoom, Teams, Googe meet)

With the effect of Covid-19, many people now understand the dynamics of having to work from home or school from home. And some of the technologies that made this possible were meeting platforms.

They are easy to use and enable a person to work with people even when they are in different locations.

With the help of meeting tools like Zoom Nigerians have been able to create time for other things. They don’t have to increase the traffic on the roads or face traffic every morning.

People can have productive meetings online with their colleagues without having to be present physically.

Truly, these technologies have granted Nigerians the liberty to work from home.

In conclusion

These technologies have and are still impacting the lives of Nigerians. Technology has played a significant role in granting Independence to Nigerians. The technologies have made things easier and better for Nigerians, granting them freedom.

Happy Independence to every Nigerian. Remember that Nigeria is a  country constantly evolving and creating technological innovation to make things easier and better.