As the title suggests, I wish to speak of the rate at which modern technology is developing to better satisfy all the various purposes, and meet all the day-to-day needs that we human beings require to live (and go on living) in a constant and efficient manner, and in as little time as possible. Another aspect of this is how we can reduce the hazards of certain existing technologies in order to make them safer for use.
Before I begin, I would like to say that I am well aware of the fact that this topic is one that has been discussed in great and extensive detail by many before myself, and in even greater detail than this article will cover, but I still hope that I can present things from a fresh new angle in comparison to what others have said and written in the past.
I would like to discuss first, as the main focus of this article, how we can apply them in Nigeria as we go forward with regards to technological advances, because we are still a developing nation after all and there are lots of huge opportunities to be seized in our country, the likes of which we can find nowhere else but here, and even those which are greater here than elsewhere. And these advances will end up cutting across every level of Nigeria’s being, if we do indeed end up going in the right direction. The first world already has quite a few of these technologies working well for it and people coming up with new ideas at a steady and fast rate, so I think it would be better to focus our attention here in Nigeria and see how we can adapt those ideas to work for us here in a similar or perhaps even better way than they do.
The first example of a missed or unexplored opportunity that technology could play a very important role in, that I can think of, is the menu and order taking of a restaurant. Via tablets, or perhaps even things as small as phones, all linked to a system either in the kitchen or at the order desk. The restaurant in concern could make a program on the devices that has all its food and drinks listed in it, with images of the food itself and information below on what the ingredients are, how long it takes, and which ones you can include or exclude from your order. The device could also inform you of what the restaurant’s supplies are, like if they’re low on a particular fruit needed to make a specific juice or if they are unable to make a certain order for that period of time, and then block the selection so that you know that they have difficulty with cooking that food or making that drink. The restaurant can then get a specific number of these devices for each seat in each table, for each person to use. After the people on the table have selected what they want to order, they can send it to the main system in the kitchen or wherever it is located, and it can be queued behind or ahead of other orders from the rest of the people in the restaurant, preferably based on how long each order takes, which I think would be the most efficient way to deliver to the customers. This would provide an effective replacement to waiters and waitresses, though I think it may reduce the number of jobs within the restaurant. Alternatively, if a restaurant wishes to keep the waiters and waitresses within the restaurant, they could just be the ones to hand you those individual menu devices, and then send your order to their own version of the device designed for taking orders, rather than having a system where the orders are directly sent.
A second area, I think, would be in schools (and this is already being put into practice as I write this article). It would be incredibly convenient if the children could have their textbooks all contained within a tablet or a computer rather than having them as perishable books that can easily be damaged. That way students can keep track of what they’ve read so far, and can always single out important information if they choose. And for some classes, technology for note taking would also be beneficial in many ways, even though it may phase out the need to write. Notes can be sent directly to the teacher for marking, and the results could go back to the students immediately when the teacher is finished marking all the work. However there are still other classes in which writing can still be used, so this would still be able to work with little consequence. Teachers could even have a flexible digital continuous assessment record safe from spying or unauthorized alteration of any kind (password protection) that can work both online and offline.
A third area that I think technology isn’t fully being used yet, would be perhaps app development in general, for both the government and for private businesses, and even for individuals. For example, where the government is concerned, this would be extremely useful in the tourism and culture areas. For tourism, it would help to make applications that are up to modern standards, that can showcase important locations and give detailed information about them, like videos, photo galleries, descriptions, and other such material. People from those locations would be the best to explain them, and the guides could be in both English as well as in the other languages that we have here, along with the three main ones. As for culture, someone or a group of people from a specific area may decide to make applications about every aspect of their culture, language, food, beliefs, and all. In fact they could also make apps dedicated to their language alone. It would be an excellent way to preserve many aspects of culture and society here, where everyone can have easy access to it at home and even abroad. Besides those two, the various government agencies could make applications that come in all the languages we have here, if they haven’t already. Private companies, like restaurants, firms, and such, could do the same if they wish, especially if they span the whole country.
And then, I think that there is a fourth (and for now, final) area in which technology needs to play a larger role than it is now, which is in all government proceedings in Nigeria, wherever it will work efficiently, like in any function that requires keeping consistent and accurate records of things such as taxes, that government officials can have access to at any time, but is very safeguarded from outside intrusion. It could also be automated for less trouble. Now I can’t say I know too much about how the government does things, as for now there is not so much easily accessible information on quite a few of its systems, but that can change once technology is allowed to play a larger role within the system.
These are just a few of the ideas that I have either thought up or am restating in as different a perspective as I can. There will no doubt be more as I continue to look at what we have here in this country, and at all the possible ways in which we can improve upon those areas, whether they be in the public sector or the private sector, but for now, I will just leave it at those things which either seem to be taking place already in the first world nations out there, or are not in place yet anywhere that I know of.
Overall however, I believe that innovations such as these and more can help to link the current and future generations of Nigerians together in pursuit of mutually beneficial development opportunities, and help matters a lot, especially in those areas where there have always been problems with services, and with many other troublesome or inefficient aspects of our society.
