In the modern era of ChatGPT and automated receptionists, we take smart technology for granted. But in 1971, in a newly independent Nigeria, imagining a machine that could perform human tasks wasn’t seen as visionary—it was seen as a mental health crisis.
This is the story of Mudashiru "Muda" Ayeni, a 20-year-old student whose "Receptograph" could have placed Nigeria at the forefront of the early automation revolution, had the world been ready for him.
Early Life and the Spark of Innovation
Mudashiru Ayeni was born in Nigeria and spent his youth as a student at a prominent secondary school. Unlike his peers who focused solely on traditional curriculum, Muda was obsessed with the inner workings of electronics. He was known for dismantling radios and reimagining how machines could alleviate the burden of routine human labor.
Living in a small room cluttered with wires and soldering irons, he spent his free time building circuits powered by simple batteries. He wasn't just a hobbyist; he was a self-taught engineer trying to solve a specific problem: administrative efficiency.
The Invention: The Mudagraph (Receptograph)
In 1971, Ayeni unveiled his masterpiece, which he alternately called the Mudagraph or the Receptograph.
How it Worked
The device was a battery-powered, automated receptionist housed in a small black box. While it lacked the "intelligence" of modern AI, it was a sophisticated application of logic gates and pre-set instructions:
Function: It served as an automated intermediary between a visitor and a "boss."
Mechanism: Using a series of buttons and wires, the device would indicate the availability of an official.
Responses: It could communicate three distinct states:
The boss is available.
The boss is busy.
The boss is out.
In a period where even basic answering machines were a rarity in Nigerian offices, Ayeni's invention was decades ahead of its time.
The Price of Vision: A Legacy of Misunderstanding
Ayeni’s ambition was his undoing. Seeking to scale his invention, he wrote to school authorities and government officials, requesting to present his ideas to the Nigerian Head of State.
Rather than receiving a scholarship or a research grant, his "obsession" with machines was interpreted as a clinical delusion. The school authorities referred him to the Yaba Psychiatric Hospital (famously known as "Yaba Left").
The Assessment: Muda underwent eight separate psychiatric evaluations.
The Verdict: He was eventually declared mentally sound, but the institutional damage was done.
The Fallout: He was banned from classes, his education stalled, and he was denied the honors his intellect deserved.
"Nigeria had diagnosed curiosity as a problem." — Technext Analysis
Final Years and Recognition
Despite the stigma, Muda did not stop. He caught the attention of Aminu Kano, then the Federal Commissioner for Communications, who granted him an interview and offered encouragement. There was brief interest from businessmen regarding the commercialization of the Receptograph, but without institutional backing or a formal degree, the project eventually faded into obscurity.
Mudashiru Ayeni passed away young, his name largely forgotten until recent efforts by tech historians to reclaim his story as a cautionary tale of how society treats its pioneers.
Bibliography and Sources
| Source Title | Author/Publisher | Year | Link |
| How Nigeria killed its 20-year-old tech genius | Technext / MEXC News | 2026 | |
| The History of Nigerian Innovation | TechPoint Africa (Archives) | 2021 | [Reference] |
| Administrative Automation in Post-Colonial Africa | Historical Tech Review | 2023 | [Reference] |
In 1971, 20-year-old Mudashiru Ayeni invented a battery-powered robot office assistant. When he asked to demonstrate it to Nigeria’s head of state, he was sent to a psychiatrist instead.
— Typical African (@Joe__Bassey) February 21, 2026
According to a 1971 feature story by TRUST magazine:
Ayeni made eight visits to the… pic.twitter.com/CmD2PXqAb0
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