Teen Who Never Used Laptop Fights for University Dream

Tamunotonye has never used a laptop, but that didn't stop him from registering for Nigeria's computer-based university entrance exam. The 16-year-old from Borokiri, a remote fishing village on Bonny Island, is determined to become the first in his family to attend university.

His name means "Gift from God" in Ibani. Doctors told his mother he wouldn't survive past his fourth day after a difficult premature birth. Nearly two decades later, he's proving everyone wrong again.

At eight years old, Tamunotonye walked barefoot into muddy bushes to pick periwinkles, filling three large sacks each day to help feed his family. His father, a Christian missionary, survives on irregular donations, while his mother runs a small kiosk after abandoning her apprenticeship as a traditional weaver.

The family's poverty forced Tamunotonye to pause his education for nearly a year during primary school. A church member paid his tuition until moving away, leaving the family scrambling. His older brother sends money from Lagos or Abuja, though nobody's quite sure where he's working.

This year, Tamunotonye registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Nigeria's gateway to higher education. Every Nigerian university hopeful must pass this computer-based test, which has been digital since 2015.

The closest he's come to a laptop was glimpsing his brother's during a 2022 family funeral. He moved it aside while searching for perfume in his brother's bag, nothing more.

Why This Inspires

Tamunotonye represents millions of students in remote communities facing a digital divide that could determine their futures. His courage to register anyway, despite the fear, shows how determination can bridge impossible gaps.

His mother Evelyn never finished her weaving apprenticeship, but she sees her son's hunger for a different life. "I don't know what I would have done if not for this son of mine," she told reporters. "He wants to make something out of his life, and all I do is support him."

Nigeria's education system is slowly modernizing with computer-based testing, but infrastructure hasn't caught up in places like Borokiri. Students must travel to accredited testing centers, often seeing technology for the first time on exam day.

Tamunotonye learned early that nobody was coming to save him. Now he's saving himself, one scary step at a time.