Long before he became the Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde made a quiet but life-changing gesture to his alma mater, Bishop Phillips Academy in Ibadan. He had just earned his first major profit at Makon Engineering and decided to donate a fully equipped computer laboratory to the school. At the time, it was a humble act of philanthropy. However, today, it is being celebrated as the spark that helped launch a Nigerian into the pages of Guinness World Records.
Oluwatobi “Tobi” Oyinlola, a Nigerian researcher at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has built the world’s smallest GPS tracking device, a groundbreaking creation that earned him global recognition and a Guinness World Record. The prototype, measuring just 22.93 mm x 11.92 mm, is smaller than a thumbprint, yet it boasts a full GPS tracking functionality and Bluetooth streaming capabilities.
It was gathered that Tobi’s journey began at the age of 13, when he encountered a computer for the very first time in that Makinde-sponsored lab at Bishop Phillips.
“From the moment I booted it up, I was absolutely captivated,” he told Guinness World Records.
“That early exposure created an endless curiosity in me and set me on the path that led to where I am today.”
The MIT researcher credits that initial spark with nurturing his lifelong love for STEM. He went on to develop Nigeria’s first pay-as-you-go solar energy systems and has worked on smart city innovations, gas solutions, and solar-powered workstations across Africa. However, it is his latest invention, a GPS tracker so small it could revolutionize wearables, medical devices, wildlife monitoring, and personal safety, that has brought him into global limelight.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also praised Tobi for showing “the world that Nigerian youth can,” while his record-breaking work has made headlines internationally and at home.
Today, Tobi says the inspiration for the miniaturized GPS device came from the limitations he encountered while working on wearable tech.
“The current devices were either too big or too power-hungry,” he explained. “I wanted to create a tracker so compact it could fit almost anywhere, from microchips in medicine to hidden safety gear.”
This was produced in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his prototype was also independently verified by engineers and architects before receiving Guinness’ approval on April 27, 2025.
“Honestly, it feels incredible, and a bit surreal, to know I’ve created something record-breaking,” Tobi shared.
“It really highlighted how far I’ve come from that curious 13-year-old in the computer lab.”
Meanwhile, as the world celebrates his brilliance and high-level creativity, those familiar with Tobi’s humble background see it as a strong reminder of the lasting impact of investing in education. Yes, what started as a donation by Seyi Makinde, at a time when politics was not even on his radar has now grown a global breakthrough.
Seyi Makinde, who has since prioritized education and tech access in his administration, has not publicly commented on the news yet.
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