Kayode Sowole, a 400-level Computer
Science student of University of Lagos who won the ‘Best Student App’ for
developing the Wazobia Bible application which allows people to read the
bible in Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and all English translations offline. In
this interview with Vanguard Learning, he speaks on his inspiration for
application development. Excerpts -
TELL us about yourself.
My name is Kayode Sowole. I am from
Sodeke town in Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am currently a 400-level Computer
Science student of University of Lagos.
I am a highly motivated individual
who always enjoys a good challenge. My interest in computing since my childhood
has been a major factor in helping me to develop my programming skills that
have led to my high level of success in mobile app development. I love
developing web and mobile applications. My leisure activities include writing,
travelling and listening to music.
When did you realise you wanted to
become an App developer?
I made the decision to become a
mobile application developer in my first year in University of Lagos in 2010
after an online video training on app development on YouTube.
So what steps did you take?
I started by downloading and
installing the Java IDE, which the YouTube training had recommended. I also got
the Netbeans IDE on my laptop. Then, I searched Google for related e-books and
downloaded them on my laptop for references. From that moment, I started
building Java and Android apps. I found my kicks in getting online to research
and learning new stuff about app development.
What was the first app you
developed?
The first app I developed is called
the Picpuzzle, a picture puzzle game that requires the player to
rearrange the items in a picture in the proper order. I had fun putting that
one together.
Where did you get inspiration for
the app you created?
The Holy Spirit was the author of my
inspiration. The thinking behind the app was that when God communicates with
you in your native language, it seems as if God is from your town for Him to
have been able to talk to you.
It allows for a closer and deeper
transaction with the Almighty that is very native and heartfelt. When you read
the Yoruba Bible, it seems as if God is a Yoruba man, which is true because we
are all copies of God’s image. Language is very powerful.
If you want a people to lose their
sense of identity, all you need to do is to take their language away from them.
As such, providing the word of God to people in a language that they can
understand is so powerful and has a very good feeling.
The Wazobia Bible app, affords you
the opportunity to read God’s word in Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and all
English translations offline. It’s all about creating value and opportunities
for people to access God’s word.
What were the high points of your
preparation?
The incorporation of the Bible into
Bible programming languages such as THML (Theological Mark-up Language) and
OSIS (Open Scripture Information Standard) was the most significant part of my
preparation.
The Theological Markup Language is a
new markup language that is being used to mark up texts for the Christian
Classics Ethereal Library and other projects.
This XML application can be thought
of as HTML with additions for electronic books and rich digital libraries, with
special support for theological needs such as scripture references and Strongs
numberings.
Also the Open Scripture Information
Standard (OSIS) is an XML application (or schema), that defines tags for
marking up Bibles, theological commentaries, and other related literature.
These are useful languages I had to code with to develop the app.
Did you know that you were going to
win?
I was shocked when I received the
news of my win. Someone had called me to tell me I won because I didn’t attend
the presentation.
How do you feel about winning?
This is so comforting and assuring.
I feel so exhilarated. I’m so happy my hard work on the app has really paid
off. This is a reward for the value I have tried to create by opening up the
word of God to reach more people in a language they can understand and
appreciate.
How do you plan to maximise the
platform your victory has brought?
I intend to use social networking
platforms like Facebook and Twitter so as to reach out to a lot of people.
Development of the app
Also the 6 month- promotion of the
app promised by MTN would help popularise the app.
Could you take us through the
start-up process and its growth trajectory?
I started the project by compiling
the Holy Bible in Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and all English translations in
plain text format.
Next, I built the GUI (Graphical
User Interface) in Eclipse which made the project about fifty percent ready.
After that, I developed the connection between the Bible files and the core of
the app. At this stage, the project was seventy five percent completed.
To complete the development of the
app, I introduced the reading of other documents such as Bible in one year, Every
day in the word and other Christian books. I also made a collection of 384
bible verses which will be highlighted when reading the Bible. At the end of
this stage, Wazobia Bible app was hundred per cent ready for use.
How have mobile users embraced the
app and what kind of numbers have you churned out?
Wazobia Bible app has been
downloaded beyond my expectation. The app has had over 2,800 downloads on MTN
App Store.
Have you been able to monetize the
application?
No. It’s a free app for now.
How do you intend to deal with the
competition within the mobile industry?
I intend to introduce other features
like reading the Bible out in audio and in the selected language such as Igbo,
Hausa, Yoruba and Pidgin.
How would you assess current level
of local mobile applications development?
I think local mobile applications
development is increasing rapidly and a few years from now, the local mobile
applications development community would have doubled.
MTN has launched the MTN NextApps
store for various platforms, how will this impact the development of mobile
applications and related content for mobile uses?
MTN NextApps store has definitely
expanded the reach of apps to various platforms which will definitely improve
mobile applications development speedily because it will encourage developers
to port their apps to several platforms.
Would you say Nigeria has the local
capacity to effectively support the growth and development of mobile content
and applications?
Not at the moment. We have a lot of
talented students in Nigeria but most cannot even afford a laptop. Even those
who have laptops have to use N100 from their pocket money to get 10MB of
data to browse. Only a few can afford to fuel their generators because there’s
no light. As students, we need laptops, data and electricity to effectively support
the growth and development of mobile content and applications.
What advice would you have for the
government or corporate bodies in a bid to strengthen the local mobile
application industry?
The government needs to make
electricity stable to strengthen the local mobile application industry.
Corporate bodies need to divert the millions they give to music stars for
adverts to buy laptops for secondary school students who just finished their
WAEC and are awaiting results.
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