“I Thought it Was Just Another Tech Course, But 3MTT Changed My Life”- Deborah Oyetunde

IBADAN, Nigeria – The room in Ibadan was dim that January morning in 2023, the kind of quiet dawn that amplifies every doubt. Deborah Morogooluwa Oyetunde, a fresh-faced polytechnic graduate with an HND in business administration, clutched like a fragile shield, sat cross-legged on her bed. At 22, she had already mapped her year on in her head: master product management. It wasn’t because it was a trendy thing to do, but because it felt like the key to a door she had long imagined breaking open. “I wanted to do something I love and can make me money,” she recalls, her voice steady even now, a year and a half later. That ‘why’ – which she would cling onto over the next 18 months— became her anchor. Little did she know, it would carry her from endless YouTube binges to being spotted by Minister ‘Bosun Tijani’s watchful gaze.

Life Before 3MTT

Life before the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme was a potpourri of passion-inspired endeavors. These were stitched together with a kind of unyielding optimism that Deborah says has always defined her, even as a child. Growing up in Ibadan, she dreamed of becoming an accountant and tried everything possible to make that happen. But university admissions slipped away – delayed by a combination of factors. So off to the Federal Polytechnic Ede she went to study Business Administration. 

It was a path she embraced not with defeat, but defiance. “I’m a very positive person,” she says. “Even when things are not working out the way they should, I’m still very positive.” By 2020, lockdown had sharpened that resolve into action. While studying, she stumbled into social media management and was taken in by the magic of a new borderless world.

It all started when an ‘uncle’ from the neighborhood offered her a stipend to handle his business pages. She jumped in with as much passion as she could and cut her teeth trying to grow those pages from scratch. NYSC followed in late 2022. Deborah was posted to a state-owned outfit that she felt was way too comfortable for her person. “I love working on things that will stretch and challenge me,” she admits. So she volunteered for special community development services, anything to push her out of her comfort zone.

Moving On From Social Media Management

Social media had dazzled at first. She loved the idea of coming up with posts that sparked conversations. But engagements were not forthcoming, and she became frustrated. “I’m the kind of person that when I don’t see results, I’m like, huh, this really somehow to me,” she laughs. Product management felt more like it. It was introspective, idea-driven, and she felt it was a better fit for her outspoken personality. 

However, the real deal came after NYSC. She spent most of her time bingeing on endless YouTube videos of Nigerian tech influencers. When she wasn’t watching Fisayo Fosudo’s breakdowns of tech devices, she was poring over Rhoda Olabisi’s insightful takes on product design. She also enjoyed consuming Tobi Adekeye’s tales as a product management student in Canada. 

To Deborah, these weren’t just videos. They were mirrors. “I started seeing myself in these people,” Morogooluwa says. “I started loving the way they speak, how knowledgeable they were about their respective fields.” She wanted to be like them, to grow out of the reductive Polytechnic label and do something impactful with her life. Morogooluwa would wake up at 6 AM, journal what she learnt from these videos, and her resolve was further strengthened. She was so immersed in her dream that, on sign-out day, while her peers were all glammed up and celebrating, she was holed up in her room listing goals, her vision, and a vow to make money with tech. That was when she heard of 3MTT.

Becoming a 3MTT Fellow

Registering for 3MTT in November 2023 felt casual at first, like signing up for another free tech course. But a newsletter she signed up for – Entering Tech – changed that. It connected her to a Cohort 1 fellow in product design who resided in nearby Lagos. Their chats were sporadic at first, but soon became regular. It was a good outlet for her to ask the many questions she had and pour out her frustrations. Whenever she felt like quitting, he’d encourage her. Sometimes he told her to pause, to do this task or that task. 

Extras That Kept Her Going

3MTT’s rhythm surprised her most in its whimsy, those unexpected jolts that made rigor feel like play. She was enrolled in Cohort 2, and she braced for the six-month haul: three months online, three in-person at learning clusters. But she was not expecting the free data subscriptions. “That really made me want to learn more,” she beams. “Finish these modules and win 10GB” and suddenly, 33 courses in a month no longer felt like a mountain too high. “Who would not want to have 10 gigabytes of data?”

Then came the knowledge showcases. 3MTT had these virtual pitches where fellows unveiled projects, vying for eye-watering prizes. The first win she witnessed was a fellow claiming a laptop. Her mentor bagged two, one as a student standout, another for his showcase. “I’m like, okay, okay. This is really interesting. I have to take this seriously,” she laughs. Motivated, Morogooluwa eventually came up with a project of her own—a demo on user research. She was nervous about submitting but did it anyway, and she won. The prize attached was a laptop of her own.

But there was a plot twist. The laptop Deborah received was faulty. She sent out frantic emails to admins, chats with her community manager, but things dragged on for a while.  “3MTT really taught me patience. And all of this is really what shaped me into who I am right now.” A positive person, she looked for the silver lining in everything. There were glitches and delays, but she found sociability, exploration, and fun. “I met people… it was really just me having fun while learning.“

‘The Meeting That Changed My Life’

One Thursday morning in October 2024, Deborah woke up to news in the 3MTT group chat: the minister for Communication and the Digital Economy was visiting her learning center. She was overjoyed. Minister Bosun was someone she had admired from watching his well-publicized ministerial screening at the Nigerian Senate. And when his nomination was eventually confirmed, she was happy. 

“I had always admired him for how he managed to make lemonade out of lemons at the ministerial screening. And when I saw the news that he was visiting, I thought to myself that this was an opportunity to meet someone she had admired from TV screens.”

However, there was a snag. Deborah didn’t have the money to transport herself to the event, but she desperately wanted to be there. But things worked out miraculously for her. Before the visit, the learning center had asked that fellows who wanted to share their stories with the minister send in voice messages. She did, and fortunately, her story was selected. And that was how she was able to attend.

A Minister’s Promise

It was D-day. 3MTT fellows were excited. But Deborah was perhaps the most excited of them all. She was finally going to meet the man who made 3MTT possible. When it was time to listen to the selected stories from 3MTT fellows, the minister called her name first. Nervous, she stepped forward. She spoke about her admiration for Tijani’s journey and how appreciative she was of the 3MTT programme. 

“3MTT gave me a voice, 3MTT gave me data, they gave me a laptop, and they trained me on product management. I basically repeated everything I said in the voice message.” 

Back to her seat, four more fellows shared their stories, then it was time for the Minister’s speech. Every eye in the room was on him as he spoke. Then mid-speech, he paused, narrowed his gaze on Deborah, and asked, “Do you have a job?” “No”, she blurted. At the time, she only had a couple of virtual assistant gigs that didn’t really amount to much. Then the unexpected happened. “When I said no, he calmly mentioned that he would get me one as soon as possible.”

The room erupted in cheers, but Deborah froze. “It took a while for it to register when people started congratulating me from all sides.” For her, it was more than a promise; it was validation. The polytechnic girl who spent those mornings writing down her goals in her journal was finally getting a job in product management. 

From One Man’s Ambitious Dream to 3 Million Technical Talents 

The minister kept his word. Now working her first product management role, Deborah remains as positive and as committed to change as ever. “I just want to keep improving, keep evolving.” As she continues to evolve, Minister Bosun wants the same with 3MTT.  

The journey towards the projected 3 million technical talents is filled with 3MTT fellows with stories like Deborah’s. The program has grown significantly since its launch two years ago. From all corners of the country, young Nigerians have committed time and effort to match the ministry’s investment. And with jobs seemingly within reach, it’s a pipeline that perhaps deserves more applause.

For the minister who has faced criticism over his AI focus, nothing validates his idea more than seeing these young Nigerians learn valuable skills and become responsible members of society. With this, they can contribute their quota to building the Nigeria of their dreams.

(3MTT will complete a two-year cycle this month. We tracked its journey so far. Read here)