UNILAG NitHub: A Space Where Learning Meets Real World Problems

By Success Essien, Confidence Precious, Cole Ibilola, Ugah Thelma,  Abdullahi Rahmat 

In recent years, Nigeria has become a hub for tech innovation, with its startup ecosystem recording steady growth. According to Disrupt Africa, Nigerian tech startups raised over 400 million dollars in funding in 2023 alone, reflecting the increasing demand for skilled talent and digital solutions. Amid this expanding landscape, university-based innovation hubs have emerged as key players in nurturing the next generation of digital creators. One such hub is the National Information Technology Development Agency Information Technology Hub, popularly known as NitHub, located at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), led by its Acting Director, Dr Victor Odumuyiwa.

In UNILAG Sun’s checks, NitHub stands out not only for its cutting-edge training programmes but also for its strong commitment to building a globally competitive tech workforce. 

An Associate Professor of Computing Science in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Dr Odumuyiwa speaks about NitHub not as a standalone building, but as a system designed to move people from skills to solutions and from ideas to ventures.

According to him, NitHub officially began operations in 2021, driven by a clear vision to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s digital economy through innovation.

“At inception, we wanted to focus on innovation,” he said.

 “But we discovered that the community did not yet have the right skill set to innovate.” 

That early realisation shaped everything that followed. Rather than force innovation without a foundation, NitHub paused to reassess its direction. The result was a three-pillar structure that now guides all its activities. The first pillar is talent development, focused on training. The second pillar centres on product innovation, where ideas are shaped using design thinking, human-centred approaches, and engineering support. The third pillar, startup innovation and acceleration, supports the transition of ideas into viable ventures that can enter the market.

“These pillars guide what we do,” Dr Odumuyiwa said.

“The goal is to skill people, lead them to create new solutions, and then help those solutions become ventures.”

While NitHub was created within the UNILAG and responds to local needs, its outlook is deliberately global. Dr Odumuyiwa noted that from the beginning, all programmes were designed to be relevant anywhere in the world. Many beneficiaries now work remotely for international companies, while others have accessed opportunities outside Nigeria.

“Our programmes are designed to make people globally ready,” he said.

 “Anything we design is not just for Nigeria but for everywhere.”

 To reinforce this global perspective, NitHub exposes participants to both local and international programmes, brings in international speakers, and creates opportunities for cross-border engagement.

Training remains the most visible entry point into NitHub. Over time, the hub has expanded beyond traditional software development to include areas such as data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence literacy, embedded systems, robotics, and full-stack development. According to Odumuyiwa, interest patterns have evolved.

“Before, people came mostly for software and web development,” he said.

 “Now, we have more people coming for data analytics.” 

This shift reflects changing industry demands and growing awareness among students seeking flexible entry points into technology.

Since its inception, NitHub has trained an estimated 12,000 to 14,000 people across nearly 16 different programmes. While many participants are university students, others come from outside the institution and even outside the country. Some programmes are fully free, while others are offered at subsidised rates. Highly competitive programmes attract thousands of applicants despite being free, because they are designed to produce market-ready talent.

“The goal is not just to finish training,” Odumuyiwa said. 

 “It is to get you ready for the market.”

Beyond training numbers, NitHub’s approach places strong emphasis on competence-based learning. Participants are encouraged to understand how theory translates into real-world application, a gap many only recognise after exposure to practical projects.

 According to the director, this hands-on experience often changes how students engage with their academic courses.

“When they see real-world applications, they now see the gap in their knowledge. It pushes them to learn more,” he said.

This practical focus became especially evident during periods of academic disruption, including the nationwide university strike. Rather than disengage, many students remained deeply involved in NitHub activities, sometimes expressing reluctance to return to conventional classroom routines once strikes ended.

Despite its growth, NitHub operates within a challenging ecosystem. Odumuyiwa identified the shortage of skilled talent as one of the most persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s tech and innovation space. While many people enter technology, fewer are adequately prepared to solve real problems.

“Talent that is skilled enough to solve problems is still a challenge,” he said.

 “It is a recurrent problem.”

Another complication is talent export. As trainees gain competence, they are often recruited by international companies offering better pay. While this global recognition is positive, it also means fewer skilled individuals remain to address local problems.

“It is both an advantage and a challenge,” he noted.

 “We are getting international recognition, but we are not always solving our own problems.”

Closely linked to this is the difficulty many innovators face in identifying meaningful local use cases. Odumuyiwa said that mastering technology without understanding the problems it should solve limits impact.

“People learn technology, but they cannot identify the business problems they can solve,” he said. “You need a problem that users are willing to pay for.”

Engagement and awareness have also evolved. In its early days, NitHub relied heavily on flyers, faculty networks, and direct outreach to attract participants. Today, demand often exceeds available space, driven largely by visible success stories and peer recommendations.

The hub also maintains active social media channels, faculty ambassadors, and partnerships with other universities, extending its reach beyond UNILAG.

For those looking to engage with NitHub, there are multiple pathways. Students can apply for training programmes, pitch ideas during weekly Friday pitch sessions, participate in incubation and acceleration cycles, volunteer at events, apply for internships, or join research-focused groups. Each pathway aligns with one of the hub’s three core pillars.

Staying innovative amid limited resources requires focus on value creation. “When you can solve a problem and show value, more resources will come,” he said, while acknowledging that resources will never be sufficient. Strategic partnerships and careful optimisation remain essential.

To young people starting out in technology, Odumuyiwa said the current generation is uniquely fortunate, surrounded by opportunities that did not exist in the past.

“There are so many opportunities today, but your attention must be sharp to see them,” he said.

Beyond awareness, he stressed two qualities above all others: passion and consistency. According to him, passion signals commitment, while consistency sustains growth through inevitable challenges.

“Nothing is easy, but if you have passion and consistency, things will start to come together,” he said.

At NitHub, these values underpin not just training programmes, but an entire ecosystem built to help people move from curiosity to competence, and from competence to creation. 

In a rapidly evolving digital world, the hub’s work suggests that innovation does not begin with ideas alone, but with people who are prepared, supported, and willing to persist.