My name is Ridwan Adenigba and I am from Nigeria, Oyo State. My mom is a military woman in the Nigerian army. I grew up in Ibadan, Odogbo Barracks, where I spent the major part of my childhood and met most of my friends. One interesting thing about Ibadan at Odogbo Barracks is everyone minds their own business. I loved playing football with my friends sometimes. Not that I was really into football, but I enjoyed spending time with my friends. One of them, Joshua, caught my attention. Joshua developed games and applications and was the one who introduced me to the computer and programming world. He first asked me to assist him in developing games in Python language, but my computers skills back then were almost inexistent. I eventually ended up assisting him with testing the games he created. I also spent some time, learning about excel, photoshop, and how to install games. Before I met Joshua, I loved photography, so I just used the opportunity to learn more things about photography.

When I graduated from high school in 2017, I wanted to study programming at University, but my parents saw computer scientist as a lazy job and I was forced to attend the medical track at the University of Ilorin. I knew nothing about coding but I really liked the way computers work and I knew that I wanted to work in the software industry one day. I started the university as a medical student in 2017 but chose to stop the medical line last year, 2020, after the lockdown and the strike that took place in Nigeria.

I applied to ISM Adonai school in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and moved from my country in early February of this year (2021). Living in Cotonou is a big deal for me because in general, I learned how to survive by myself with my photography skills, buying my handout at school, and paying my rent.

One day while I was at school, I heard about Trellix.io, which is a software company located in Cotonou that offers short and medium terms internships for students that are interested in the software industry and in computer science. I went to their website, and I immediately realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to become more knowledgeable about the tech field and improve my skills. Immediately after, I was done with my second semester, I decided to apply for an externship opportunity at Trellix. I was invited for an interview which was a bit tough, as I am still a newbie in the field and still at a learning stage. I actually failed the test that was given to me on that day and was not expecting to be called back. Eventually and against all odds, I have received the admission email. I was so excited and so happy as this was going to be my first professional experience in the tech field. I am eager to start my externship and I am impatient to see what the future holds for me.

I hope my story will help many other young Africans in following their dreams and not giving up early without trying harder first.

I am always eager to make new friends, so do not hesitate to follow me and get in touch with me if you would like to chat.