In late October or early November 2022, I received a message on Facebook from one of my social media friends Isma'il. He told me about the Blockchain Scholarship sponsored by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and encouraged me to apply. He said that many youth in the north were not taking advantage of this opportunity. I replied that I would consult my mom and then get back to him. The next day, I asked him how to apply, and he sent me the link. I applied for the scholarship and, after a week, he informed me to check my email. Although I didn't see anything related to the scholarship at first, after some time, I found the approval email. I was thrilled and felt honored to follow in the footsteps of the great mentor, Professor Isa Ali Pantami.
I messaged my social media friend to share the news, and he congratulated me, also giving me valuable advice about the importance of blockchain technology. I shared the news with my family and friends on WhatsApp, and they congratulated me too. However, upon reviewing the approval application, I realized a significant hurdle: the program was entirely online, and participants were required to have a laptop or a high-capacity smartphone, which I didn't have. Additionally, the program was starting in just 10 days, and I didn't have the funds to purchase a laptop.
I turned to my mom for advice, and she advised me to pray to Allah for a solution, as we trust in His answers to our prayers. With just 10 days left, I contacted friends who might have spare laptops, but to no avail. My elder brother reached out to his friend, Abdulrahman, but unfortunately, his laptop was not available due to technical issues. With only four days left, I calculated the cost of using a cyber café, realizing it was too expensive for me.
Three days before the program started, my brother posted my laptop issue anonymously on the Arewa Diary Facebook page. The next day, he informed me that three members offered help: one was willing to lend his laptop for the entire program, another was asking around for a laptop on my behalf, and the third invited me to his office to use his laptop. I chose the last option because all of them shared their contact information with the admin of Arewa Diary. My brother shared the contact with me, and I immediately called the number. The person, instructed me to come to the Incubation Center in Kano the next day.
I went to the Incubation Center and met him, he interviewed me to ensure I would use the laptop responsibly. I assured him of my gratitude and readiness to start the NITDA program the following day, thanks to his kindness.
The next day, we were starting the NITDA program. I went to his office, and thankfully, I found him there. I greeted him, and he kindly greeted me back. He asked me to sit down and asked how my day was. I replied, "Alhamdulillah, sir," and he said, "Masha Allah." He then asked my name, and welcomed me, and he tell me his name “BABA TATA”
He ask me when the program would start, and I said, "At 10:00 this morning, In Sha Allah." He replied, "You have 20 minutes to get started." I agreed, and he asked me to wait while he arranged for someone to bring his Mi-Fi for me to use during the program.
Within the next 10 minutes, the person arrived with the Mi-Fi, and BABA TATA gave me his office laptop to use for the whole program. When I received the laptop, I was shocked because it was very expensive. I wondered why he trusted me with such an expensive item when he didn't even know me well. After collecting the laptop, he said I could conduct the program in his office, to which I agreed.
I spent 11 days going to BABA TATA’s office for the NITDA program. However, on the 12th day, I didn't go for three days. In the evening of the third day, I received a call from BABA TATA, asking why I had stopped attending the program. I told him I was helping my dad somewhere, which was partly true. He accepted my explanation, and I apologized, to which he replied, "It's okay, may Allah help you."
In fact, I missed the program for a total of 6 days. On the 6th day of my absence, I received another call from BABA TATA. He called my name, MUSA, and asked why I had stopped attending the program for a week. At that moment, I was close to my mom, and the call was on loudspeaker. My mom urged me to tell him the truth, so I did. I explained that I didn't have money for transport, and the place was hard to reach. He expressed surprise and asked how much I spent on transport. I told him it was 1,000 naira a day. He then asked me to come the next day, and I promised to do so.
My mom commented that BABA TATA was a kind man, and she prayed for his well-being. I echoed her prayers.
The next day, I went to his office, and he welcomed me warmly. He gave me his laptop as usual, and I logged into my dashboard, only to find out that I had been eliminated from the program. I felt sad and didn't know how to tell him. When I informed him, he was saddened by the news. He asked why, and I explained the program's policy about missing days. He was disappointed but decided to help me.
BABA TATA took me to one of his colleagues and explained everything to him. The colleague was also saddened by the situation. Together, they discussed how to help me continue the program. The colleague asked if BABA TATA knew anyone in the agency, and BABA TATA said he did. He tried contacting them, but unfortunately, they were out of the country. We spent about 8 hours in the Technology Incubation Center in Kano.
Later that evening, BABA TATA contacted one of his friends and explained the situation. The friend agreed to meet us in his office the next day at noon. BABA TATA informed me about the meeting and assured me that everything would be okay. I thanked him sincerely. He smiled and said, "Musa, it's all right." He even gave me a lift home and 1,000 naira for transport, which I appreciated greatly.
The next day at 9:00 in the morning, I went to the Technology Incubation Center as BABA TATA instructed. Unfortunately, BABA TATA wasn't at the office because he said we should meet at 12:00 in the afternoon. So, I decided to wait until then. By 11:21, BABA TATA arrived, and I quickly went to meet him in the car park. I greeted him, and he apologized for keeping me waiting. I was surprised and wondered why he was apologizing to me, but I replied, "babu komai Sir." He asked me the time, and I said, "11:25 Sir." He said, "okay, let's go and meet the person we are supposed to meet today." I agreed.
I thought we were going outside the Technology Incubation Center, but he said we were meeting the person inside. We went to a site place, a place like I had never seen before, only in movies, mostly American or Korean. We entered with BABA TATA, and he asked a staff member if the engineer was around. The staff member replied, "No, he's not yet in the office." So, BABA TATA called the engineer, and he said the engineer would arrive in the next hour. BABA TATA said we would wait, and I should sit down and wait for him. I agreed.
After an hour, the engineer arrived and asked if I was the one with BABA TATA. I said yes, and he suggested we go to the mosque and pray Zuhr prayer. I agreed, and he asked where BABA TATA was. I replied that he went out but would come back. The engineer said he would call him, or we could go to the mosque and meet him there. I replied, "Okay." We went to the mosque, prayed Zuhr, and then met together – me, BABA TATA, and the engineer.
BABA TATA introduced me to Engineer Mustapha Habu Ringim, and I greeted him. Engineer Mustapha asked what was wrong, and BABA TATA explained everything. He was sympathetic. Then, Engineer Mustapha asked me if I would accept a scholarship from ENGAUSA if offered. I answered yes and expressed my gratitude. Engineer Mustapha then said that ENGAUSA Global Tech Hub had awarded me a 100% scholarship. I was overjoyed and hugged both BABA TATA and Engineer Mustapha at the same time, thanking Allah and appreciating BABA TATA's kindness.
Afterward, Engineer Mustapha asked me to follow him to his office. On the way, he asked what skills I wanted to learn in ENGAUSA. I chose Digital Literacy Skills. He explained the skills I would learn, like graphic design, web development, blogging, digital marketing, video editing, and digital photography. I expressed my gratitude, and when we reached his office, he instructed his secretary to give me a form to fill and add my name to the ENGAUSA 100% scholarship list. The secretary complied, and after providing my information, I received the form with thanks.
I asked the secretary to take me to the engineer's office, where I thanked him profusely for his kindness. He asked if the secretary had told me when the program would start, and I confirmed that it would begin on January 9, 2023. He wished me well, and I thanked him, giving him my contact number. Unfortunately, I didn't have a smartphone, but he assured me it wasn't a problem, as I would soon have one. He saved my contact and bid me goodbye.
After I got back home, I explained everything to my mom. She was very happy, congratulated me, and prayed for my success. She included Baba Tata and Engineer Mustapha in her prayers too. I'm confident that her prayers will be accepted, God willing.
On January 9, 2023, I started my five-week program at ENGAUSA GLOBAL TECH HUB. Alhamdulillah, the program was amazing, interesting, and enlightening. What I really appreciated at Engausa was the excellent communication between tutors and students.
Unlike anywhere else, tutors at Engausa were keen on students learning even more. Alhamdulillah, during the program, whenever I met Engineer Mustapha, he would always ask about how it was going, and my answer was always, "Alhamdulillah, sir," because it truly was.
During my five weeks at Engausa, I learned five digital skills: graphic design, web development, blogging, digital marketing, video editing, and digital photography. Alhamdulillah for that.
After completing the program, Engineer Mustapha called me for an interview to ask about what I learned and how my experience was at Engausa. Alhamdulillah, I answered all his questions satisfactorily. He prayed for my success and wished me well in applying what I learned.
A week after the program, Engineer Mustapha called me to ask how I was doing since leaving Engausa. Surprised by his call, I answered that I was fine. He then asked me to meet him in his office at Engausa the next day at 10:00 AM. I agreed, and he replied with a prayer for Allah's guidance.
The next day, I arrived at Engausa at 9:18 AM and waited for Engineer Mustapha. After about 35 to 40 minutes, he called to check if I had arrived. I confirmed, and he asked me about the skills I had learned. I mentioned blogging, graphic design, and web development, and when he asked which one I preferred, I chose blogging.
He instructed the secretary to take me to the manager's office and inform the manager about our conversation. After a brief discussion with the manager over the phone, the manager informed me that Engineer Mustapha would assign me a mentor to guide me in becoming a good blogger. The manager provided me with the mentor's contact information, Abdul Rokib Bin Hamzat , and assured me that he would also inform AbdulRoqib about everything.
When I returned home, I contacted AbdulRoqib and introduced myself. He mentioned that the manager had informed him about me. We arranged to meet the next day in Engausa at 10:30 in the morning. I arrived before 10:30 and met him there. AbdulRoqib asked about my blog, its name, and its content. I shared everything with him, and he reviewed it. For the next 10 days, AbdulRoqib guided me as Engineer Mustapha instructed him. I spent those days learning a lot from AbdulRoqib, and I am grateful for it. May Allah bless and guide him.
After AbdulRoqib's guidance, I spent about two weeks at home. Then, one day, I received a call from Engineer Mustapha. He asked how I was, and I replied that I was good. He mentioned trying to reach me but couldn't because my phone was off. I explained that we were experiencing power issues in our area. He understood and asked me to come to Engausa the next day at 1:00 in the afternoon for a discussion. I agreed, and after the call, I informed my mom about it. She prayed for the best, and I said, "Aameen Yaa Allah."
The next day, I arrived in Engausa at 1:30, half an hour late.
Engineer Mustapha and most of his staff were already there. After greeting everyone, Engineer Mustapha asked me to sit down. He discussed Engausa and its activities. At the end of the meeting, he introduced me to the staff as the newest member of the team. He then announced that I was now a staff member of Engausa Global Tech Hub, working as a HUB ASSISTANT.
I was grateful for the opportunity and thanked Allah. Engineer Mustapha instructed me to meet the manager after the meeting to learn about my duties and office. I followed his instructions.
The manager briefed me on my job description and informed me that I would start working the next day. I thanked him and agreed to start.
Alhamdulillah, I have been working at Engausa for four months as a HUB ASSISTANT. Within the next four months, I was promoted to Head of Department (HOD) of All Digital Literacy Skills at Engausa Global Tech Hub.
I am still with Engausa, and even the laptop I am using now was provided by them. Alhamdulillah for everything. Engausa has changed my life, and I am grateful.
I want to thank my mom, Hauwa M Kallamu, for her encouragement and prayers. Thanks to my mentor, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, and to the leader, Baba Tata Azare. Thanks to the guidance of Engr Mustapha Habu and to Engausa Global Tech Hub. Thanks also to NITDA Nigeria and Arewa Diary Ng. Special thanks to Ibrahim Adamu Iya and Abdul Rokib Bin Hamzat. May Allah increase your blessings.
Thank you to everyone who followed my journey from part one to the end of part five. I've received some great encouragement, even anonymously, and I'm grateful. Can you please explain or comment on the story and give me some advice?
This is how I found myself at Engausa Global Tech Hub. Thank you all.