In this interview with Techeconomy, Sodeeq highlights how his desire to solve societal problems and friend’s influence facilitated his journey into the tech space. He also hints on the challenges he faced and how he was able to scale through. 

Can you tell us how you delved into tech?

My name is Muritadoh Sodeeq a Software Engineer (backend). I have 5 years of experience and I’ve worked across multiple industries such as Fintech,Edutech,and Health tech .

What led you into software Engineering?

Curiosity, my initial plan wasn’t Software Engineering, but being surrounded by individuals who could code and build mobile calculators intrigued me. Seeing their abilities influenced my decision to explore and understand how such applications are created.

Why software engineering?

I love solving problems, so it just resonates deeply with me. I look forward to contributing to the creation of systems that have real life impact on lives, businesses, and the world as a whole.

How has your tech journey been so far?

The journey has been challenging, but I firmly believe nothing good comes easy . One of the difficulties lies in adapting to evolving industry trends, where the technology stacks we use to solve problems often change overtime . It demands the ability to continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn to stay relevant.

What about Software Engineering motivates you?

Solving real-life problems and Seeing the impact of what is built in people’s life makes me happy and motivated. That’s what keeps me going.

How much did you make from your first project as a Software Engineer?

I made 50k from my first project. This was 5 years ago

That’s a lot, how did you feel about it?

I felt so happy and motivated about the job. It was a joy to get paid for what I love doing. I knew if I put more effort I could earn more.

What challenges did you face when you started software engineering?

I struggled with deciding on a specific area within software engineering, but ultimately, I went for the enjoyable and fundamental realm of software engineering, which is backend development.

How did you overcome them?

I made research and consulted with senior people in the industry.

What’s the biggest project you’ve worked on?

Cowry bus payment system for Lagos is the biggest project I’ve worked on.

Wow, How did you feel about that?

Being part of the team that constructed the foundational card payment transportation infrastructure for Lagos State, utilized by millions of people, was an exciting opportunity.

What advice would you give someone going into software engineering?

My advice to the person would be : Have  patience because it’s quite challenging and also to have good communication skills because you cannot work on a project alone.

What suggestions would you give to enhance their knowledge?

Reading basically, I’d advise them to read engineering blogs, engineering books, other people’s code on GitHub and read articles.

Asiwaju (Dr) Michael Olawale-Cole, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), made the remark today while declaring open this year’s ICTEL Conference and Exhibition (ICTELEXPO2023) organized by the trade promotion board of the Chamber in Lagos.

Dr Olawale-Cole said that governments and organizations must leverage technology for innovation, competitiveness, and resilience in the face of risks and uncertainties.

The 2023 ICTEL conference & expo with the theme “Tech Disrupt: Transforming Industries with Innovation” creates a platform for key players and stakeholders in the Nigerian information, communication & telecommunications industry to share perspectives on emerging issues and trends in the digital economy.

The theme, the LCCI’s President said, suggests that this year, the ICTELExpo2023 will not end at the close of the event, but will activate a learning journey of the technologies disrupting business, academia, and even lifestyles.

“We are determined this year to follow the theme through and ensure follow-up initiatives that would make the resolutions and learning from our robust interaction at this event a working manual for relevant stakeholders.

“With technology having more relevance in the business world, the sector is fast becoming the fastest-growing sector in the non-oil sector of the Nigerian economy. Information and communication technology (ICT) has continued to disrupt the practice of agriculture, healthcare, learning, and manufacturing.

The Impact of ICT on Nigeria’s economy

Continuing, Dr Olawale-Cole, said:

“We are presently experiencing innovative solutions driven by artificial intelligence (ai), automation, robotics, and wearable technologies. Recent data from the national bureau of statistics (NBS) revealed that the tech sector in the first quarter of 2023 recorded a growth rate of 10.32% in real terms, year-on-year, and contributed 17.47% to the real gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2023, higher than in the same quarter of the previous year in which it represented 16.20% and higher than the preceding quarter in which it represented 16.22%”.

He added that the digital economy is evolving and impacting more areas of life and business because of its multifaceted and dynamic nature and due to the transformational power of digital technologies.

“The digital economy or the internet economy enables and supports various business, social, and government activities through electronic commerce, lifestyle apps, and e-government platforms, respectively. By this, the digital economy is considered the single most important driver of innovation, competitiveness, and growth.

“The digital economy has continued to play a very critical role in building resilience against disruptions from risks, pandemics, and natural disasters.

“The ICT sector, for instance, remains one of the most resilient sectors that thrive even in economic recessions and disruptions.

He said that, by means of innovation, the ICT sector or the digital economy powers many sectors today, driving competitiveness, cost-efficiency, and resilience in supply chains.

“Innovative disruptions are emerging in AgricTech, HealthTech, EduTech, eGovernment, etc. The digital economy has become more relevant in many spheres of our lives. With sound regulations, policies, and governance, the digital economy can create new possibilities and economic opportunities for businesses and investors. Governments and organizations must leverage technology for innovation, competitiveness, and resilience in the face of risks and uncertainties.

“As an advocacy pressure group and a lead promoter of small and medium enterprises (smes), we appreciate the significance of this sector to business growth and sustainability and we are ready to lend necessary support to the actualization of the goals set out by the government to build and sustain a robust and supportive digital economy.

“We have assembled eminent speakers whom we are confident will do justice to various issues as they reflect on the theme of this great event and the expectations of all of us.

“By strategic design, this year, we are working with the most relevant regulators, operators, and critical stakeholders in nigeria’s digital economy space. We are pleased to announce our collaboration with credible institutions like the federal ministry of communications and digital economy, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone, Nigeria Internet Registration Agency (NiRA), Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Open Access Data Center, Rack Center, etc.

“We are proud to have worked with these institutions in planning and hosting the 2023 ICTEL conference & expo. Let me use this opportunity to urge the government at various levels to formulate policies that create a vibrant innovation ecosystem that support the deployment of more technology and the creation of more jobs in the technology sectors”.

Techecconomy is a media partner to LCCI on ICTELEXPO2023