Middle-class parents often want their children to be like them and take over from them at the appointed time. The case wasn’t that different for Adebola Ibiyode, whose father, an urban and regional planner, wanted her to follow in his footsteps and lead his office in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, one day.
Adebola, the fourth of five children, often considers herself an extended middle child. Thus, she has enjoyed the freedom to explore her interests without much familial or societal pressure. Exploring this freedom saw her wander into tech at just 14.
This was when an uncle who had just returned from the United Kingdom introduced her to computer programming by gifting her a book on the Pascal programming language.
“That book sparked my curiosity, and I read it so many times that I became fluent in Pascal by the time I was 15. This early exposure set the foundation for my career,” she said.
Firmly rooted in computer programming at 15, it was only natural that she followed her heart and studied Computer programming in school. But this was when she realised her father had other plans for her future and had even paved her path into that future in gold.
You could imagine the man’s disappointment upon discovering the child he had laid so much foundation for is choosing something else.
“My father, who was the Head of Urban and Regional Planning in Lagos at a time, wanted me to follow in his footsteps,” Debola Ibiyode said. “He even secured me admission to study Urban and Regional Planning at LAUTECH, where his friend was the dean. However, I chose Computer Science instead. I remember him jokingly asking, ‘Where will you work? In a cyber café?”
Building JAMB and WAEC results checker
Adebola Ibiyode went on to study her dream subject at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), where she earned a degree in Computer Science as well as a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer certification.
She achieved all this by the age of 21.
After completing her education, she dedicated her career to software engineering. This includes building systems, teaching the subject, and continuously learning.
“I’ve never held a job outside of engineering, which speaks to my passion for the field,” she said.
One of those jobs was with Fleet Technologies (now Vatebra). Here, Debola was part of the team that developed several groundbreaking systems. Among these are JAMB and WAEC online result checkers.
Indeed, she was the only female member and the youngest.
Adebola recalls the project as a turning point in her career, one she remains grateful for, as it provided an opportunity for her to contribute meaningfully to the broader Nigerian public. She recalls being responsible for most of the groundwork, including visiting JAMB and WAEC offices to extract results.
“My role also involved visiting the WAEC office in Yaba with a colleague to extract results from their AS400 database and convert them into a Microsoft SQL database. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience that shaped my career. One unforgettable moment was rescuing the JAMB server from a burning building. It was chaotic but exhilarating. The project was a turning point for me, and I cherish the lessons I learned during that time,” Adebola says.
Despite these exciting and revolutionary achievements, Debola still felt a sense of stagnancy. A feeling that she ought to be doing more. This was particularly so as she became more involved in maintaining the already built systems, rather than innovating and trying to build more novel solutions.
This inadequate focus was not ideal for her creative nous, so she sought new and more innovative challenges elsewhere.
Around that time, the UK’s Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) was gaining traction. Many professionals in the banking and tech sectors were applying and availing themselves to bigger challenges and better opportunities abroad.
Debola discovered she qualified for the programme and decided to leap.
Adebola Ibiyode, UK-based software engineer and solutions architect
Adebola Ibiyode obtained a CS50AI Certificate in Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python at Harvard.
She also obtained a Certificate of the Artificial Intelligence Programme from the University of Oxford and a Master’s in Computer Engineering from the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Debola has also taken off her career as a Solutions Architect, acting as a bridge between business needs and technical capabilities. This means overseeing the implementation of complex technology solutions that meet business requirements and developing an overall technical vision for businesses and organisations.
She is also a sought-after software engineer and artificial intelligence expert, helping organisations develop cloud-based, user-friendly accounting systems for accountants, SMES and organisations.
Her solution has been instrumental in the development of the Making Tax Digital program of the UK’s HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs).
Debola’s talents helped her company, Liquid Accounts, secure over £250,000 in investment, a feat she considers a milestone. Her efforts have also seen her sitting on the board, a major achievement for an African woman from Nigeria.
“Sitting on a board with accomplished and wealthy white-british individuals as an African woman with a distinctly Yoruba name was empowering and transformative. It elevated my perspective and reinforced my belief in the value of diverse voices in tech,” she said.
Beyond her career, Adebola Ibiyode empowers children and women with STEM and coding skills. She describes it as a passion stemming from her belief in nurturing curiosity and protecting the inner child in everyone.
She volunteers at schools and teaches them online through platforms like DCS Academy and Optisource Coding.
“Empowering women and girls in STEM is especially important to me, given the current landscape. It’s about creating opportunities and inspiring the next generation to break barriers. While I don’t focus on numbers, I estimate that I’ve impacted around 100 children. For me, the fulfilment comes from making a difference, not from counting heads,” she noted.
Even though she is now based in the UK, Debola says she still has not forgotten her roots and is still very much connected to family, friends and people back home.
“I have never fully left Nigeria. I return home yearly because, despite its challenges, I love my country deeply,” Debola Ibiyode said.
See also: African health tech startups raised only $200k in Q1, 2025 despite global funding spike
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
