Not all that is black is dirt

The stories we often hear about Nigerians and their country from abroad are of the negative type. They are about corruption, political instability, starvation and disease. It is not as if they are not nice things to say. There certainly are but they are not reported because they don’t fit into the context of western media news reporting and analysis. But for us they are things we should shout about because they provide a silver lining of brightness and sweetness against a canvas of hopelessness and despair. One such good story is that of a Nigerian graduate doctor in the United States, who has just broken the residency record by winning all eight awards. And that made the programme director prostrate for him as our Yoruba brothers do for someone who has done something exceptional. The news was broken on a blog @damylolo.

This is how the story was reported: “In an unprecedented feat that has sent waves of pride across the Nigerian and Black communities worldwide, a young Nigerian doctor, Timileyin Oluseyi in the United States has shattered records by clinching all eight top awards in his medical residency program — a landmark achievement never before attained by any resident in the institution’s history. The trailblazing physician, Timileyin Oluseyi, being celebrated across social media, is not only the first Black doctor to sweep the awards but also outperformed every peer in his cohort, regardless of background. His exceptional clinical excellence, leadership, research contributions, and humanistic care earned him the admiration of faculty and fellows alike.

“In a moment that left witnesses emotional, the program director and department chairman went the extra mile — quite literally — by prostrating flat in traditional Yoruba fashion, a gesture of deep respect in Nigerian culture. According to sources, the administrators had researched the cultural significance of the act and decided it was the most fitting way to honor his greatness. The chairman said, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this. He raised the bar for this program forever,’ one faculty member shared. But the celebrations didn’t end there. In a light-hearted show of admiration, his colleagues jokingly presented him with a wheelbarrow to carry home all his awards, sparking laughter and joy among attendees. For many, this moment hits deeper than medals or accolades. In a global landscape where Black narratives are too often skewed toward negativity, this historic triumph stands as a powerful counter-narrative. “This is not just a win for one man, but a win for Nigeria, for Black excellence, and for every underrepresented group striving for greatness,’ a family member told reporters. Social media has erupted with congratulations, with many calling him a “living legend” and “the pride of the continent.””

Another positive report is of 17-year-old Ayabasi, from Akwa Ibom State, who invented an AI-powered, screen-less holographic phone named Ifeik, a device so advanced it’s drawing comparisons to science fiction. According to the report published in the Trumpet newspaper, the phone,
named after the Ibibio word “Ifeik” for wisdom, “isn’t just a smartphone, it’s a declaration of Africa’s innovation potential. The revolutionary device is voice-activated, screenless, self-charging, and capable of projecting 3D holograms in the air for calls, images, and data visualization. Ayabasi’s invention signals a major disruption in a tech industry historically dominated by Western and Asian corporations. Unlike conventional smartphones, Ifeik does not require touchscreens, apps, chargers, or even an internet connection to perform many of its core functions. Voice recognition in 10+ African languages, self-charging through body heat and ambient motion, an IMEI-based tracking system for security and missing persons, and no dependence on foreign servers or app stores. “This isn’t just a phone. It’s a bold act of technological independence,” said a tech analyst who reviewed the prototype in a demonstration that has since gone viral.

“Developed in her modest home, Ayabasi built the Ifeik prototype without access to high-end labs or multimillion-dollar funding. Trained on open-source AI frameworks, the device’s multilingual voice assistant understands pidgin, Yoruba, Hausa, Ibibio, and several other African dialects, a first in global tech history. The implications are enormous: rural dwellers, elderly users, and non-literate individuals can now interact with technology in their native tongue, bridging Africa’s long-standing digital divide. “Africa’s greatest resource is its people, not oil, not diamonds, but minds like Ayabasi’s,” said a senior tech policy advisor. Perhaps most revolutionary is Ifeik’s philosophy. It’s not built for advertising, data harvesting, or digital surveillance. It’s built for empowerment. It requires no app store, performs on-device learning, and respects user privacy. In a world dominated by Silicon Valley’s data economy, Ifeik is a defiant alternative.”

Yes, we are not denying that some of our people have made corruption a thriving industry that benefits only a small number of political appointees and leaves millions wallowing in poverty and disease. But we know that not all that is black is dirt. There are shiny spots on this black map whose stories must be told to the world. The world must know that the walls of the dominant western ideologies are falling. We need to replace them with one of our own making.