A teenager from Nigeria identified as John Oseni has caught rare attention as a programming prodigy.
He was recently interviewed extensively by Alexander Okere about his passion and achievements. Below is a snippet of the full interview;
Tell us about yourself.
My name is John Oseni. I am 16 years old. I turned 16 in February. I am from Yewa North in Ogun State. I am the fourth child in my family. My dad is a professor of Biochemistry and my mum is a retired civil servant. I completed my secondary school education at Command Day Secondary School, Akure. I was in the technology department.
What do you do currently?
I am a programmer. I have worked for 16 to 17 start-ups. Also, I am working to start my own company and see the possibility of a future powered by nature. We plan to use nature to power cars, phones and other things. The company has not been registered but I already have a team in the United States of America, Canada and Nigeria working on research. My lawyer is also working on that.
There was a recent online report that you were offered employment by a firm in Italy. Can you tell me how it happened?
I am the type of guy who doesn’t have a certificate in programming. Most of the jobs I get are based on referrals. I am actually working for two companies in Italy. Someone recommended me to them and before I knew it, the companies got in touch with me; I didn’t know them. They made me the blockchain team lead.
What are the names of the companies?
Flywallet and Cryptonite. They actually wanted me to go to Italy and say hi to the team but I declined because I was still working. I had an appointment with the Ooni of Ife, who wanted to see me. So, I had to tell the companies that I would work remotely for now. I have a passport but the companies will sponsor my trip.
What did they tell you the requirement for the job was?
Before I got the job, I was given some tasks which I passed.
What did your parents say when you told them about the offer?
My parents gave their consent but they were worried about my safety. When I was taking my Senior School Certificate Examination, my parents seized my laptop but I bought another one and wrote codes with it at night. But they thank God, they didn’t stop me from doing what I love.
You said you did not undergo training in web development, so how did you learn the skill?
I get paid in crypto sometimes because my account can’t take more than N1m. So, I collect money in crypto and put it in another bank. I would say I have made a lot of money.
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
