In a digital world dominated by endless feeds and algorithm-driven scrolling, one Nigerian founder is reimagining what social connection should look like.
Odogwu Ekenedilichukwu Enefe, a software engineer from Ogbunike, Anambra State, is the mind behind *Lokats*, a new platform designed to help people rediscover long-lost friends and loved ones through shared memories, places, and experiences.
Far from competing with giants like Facebook or Instagram on entertainment and content, Lokats carves out its own space by focusing on purposeful reconnection.
With features like memory-tag search, map recall, and a privacy-first consent system, Enefe and his team are working to make digital spaces more human-centered.
In an interview with Ihesiulo Grace, Enefe discusses the inspiration behind Lokats, the challenges of building a new kind of social platform, and his vision for a future where technology doesn’t just keep us online it brings us back together.
Q: Can you introduce yourself?
A: My name is Odogwu Ekenedilichukwu Enefe. I’m the founder and CEO of Lokats. I come from Ogbunike in the Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, and I hold a B.Sc in Software Engineering from the Nile University of Nigeria.
Q: What motivated you to set up Lokats?
A: I noticed that people often have memories, photos, and moments that connect them to others, but there isn’t a simple, respectful way to turn those memories into reconnections. Lokats was born out of that gap. I wanted to build a human-centered platform that helps people find and reach out to long-lost friends and family through memories, places, and shared experiences, while also protecting privacy and consent.
Q: How is Lokats different from Facebook or other social media platforms?
A: Unlike platforms built for passive scrolling, Lokats is designed for reconnection. Some of our unique features include memory-tag search (so you can search by photo, place, event, or memory), map recall (to retrace where people were last seen), and a two-step privacy consent system that requires approval before personal information is shared. We also have instant reconnection alerts. The entire design is built to foreground meaningful contact rather than endless feeds.
Q: Why should people consider using Lokats when they already have Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp?
A: We’re not asking people to abandon those platforms. Lokats serves a very specific purpose: helping you reconnect with people from your past in a way that’s private, respectful, and intentional.
If you want a quieter, more purposeful space to find old friends and rebuild real relationships, Lokats offers that.
Q: How has the response been since the launch?
A: Encouraging. Our beta users love the privacy-first approach and the memory-based search. We’ve seen steady organic interest, especially from communities and alumni groups.
Q: What major challenges are you facing right now?
A: The challenges are typical for early-stage social platforms: raising enough capital to responsibly scale the product and moderation, acquiring our first large groups of engaged users efficiently, and ensuring our moderation and privacy systems can work globally.
On the technical side, we’re also focused on making sure our matching and map features are fast and reliable at scale.
Q: Would you consider selling Lokats to a bigger company in the future?
A: Our focus right now is on building a strong product and community. That said, we’re open to strategic partnerships or offers that align with our mission and values.
Any decision to sell would depend on whether it protects user privacy, product integrity, and the long-term vision of Lokats.
Q: What is your ultimate vision for Lokats?
A: We want Lokats to become the world’s most human-centered reconnection platform the go-to place when people want to find someone from their past or form new ties rooted in real, shared moments.
Long term, we aim to power safe reconnections across cultures and geographies while setting new standards for privacy, consent, and emotional value in social apps.
Q: How can people join Lokats?
A: You can be among the first to experience the future of human connection by downloading Lokats today on the Play Store and App Store.
