Tech entrepreneur unveils App to help Nigerians track utilities use

A software developer, Mr Skalid Obi, has unveiled an App known as “Cydene Express’’, to help Nigerians make efficient use of household utilities.

Obi, 30, is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cydene Data Solutions Ltd.

The tech entrepreneur, who spoke in an interview with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, explained that Cydene Express would be useful in helping households and offices to pay for and track use of utilities.

He cited utilities the App would be used to access as electricity, cooking gas, diesel, call credit and other related bills, saying that users of the App would exploit the utilities from the comfort of their homes.

Obi, who studied Software Engineering at the University of Utah in the United States (US), said he developed the App following an industry experience he gained while working as an intern in Exxon Mobil and at the Strategy Department in Techno Oil Ltd., Lagos.

“The experience helped me immensely in understanding the Nigerian business environment and how to provide engineering solutions to some teething problems.

“At Techno Oil, I handled dealer’s agreements from station management to product allocations. I quickly realized that the process of product supply is structured in all parts of the supply chain, except to the very end user”, he stated.

Obi noted that the challenge for consumers was their inability to know when and how they would track their daily needs and services as and when needed.

“I decided that if I could automate the process of purchasing and distributing energy products on a retail level, then I would have solved a huge part of the problem faced by consumers.

“I just need to distribute efficiently; maintain low margins and focus on turnover,’’ he said, stating that this was what led him to develop the App.

According to him, industry experience has also played a big role in his floating and nurturing a data science company, called Cydene Data Solutions.

He said the company provided solutions on various energy needs such as diesel supplies, cooking gas, energy tokens and other household needs.

“With Cydene Express App, you can order cooking gas, fuel, diesel, airtime credit and electricity tokens from the comfort of your home.

“The idea is to create an energy wallet that serves all household’s energy needs, including taking advantage of energy merchants around you.’’

Obi recalled that his interest in the development of IT solutions started a long time ago after his high school in Lagos.

Obi, who had his early education at Corona Primary School in Lekki, Lagos as well as Chrisland School at Idimu, near Ikeja  also in Lagos State, said he was humbled to make a contribution to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

He said no fewer than 10,000 people in the country had embraced the Cydene Express App.

For a better society