How I became Google certified

The coming of telecommunications in Nigeria brought with it a tide of global networking, where it became easy to relate with people irrespective of their location. As telecommunications took it foundation so hurriedly came the internet and phones and smartphones.

Becoming computer literate

As at 1999, using the internet was majorly sending a mail from a business centre at an enormous cost, this luxury is not what everyone can afford. But as the competition increased and prices begin to crash, more and more people started sending their own mail even though it was still from the business centres. By the year 2000, after the mellenium bug euphoria I became aware enough to want to be part of the internet craze. Still seeking admission into the university, I remember how I would go and do home lessons to prepare young people for their WAEC (West African Examination council) examinations. The proceeds I will take to a cyber café, at that time it cost two hundred naira to have a thirty minutes session. I didn't know jot in computer needless to speak of internet, but I was very interested yet no one nor opportunity to learn. So I made up my mind to teach myself since I can read and write, that's suppose to be easy.

My first strike on a keyboard

Living with my uncle at the time I would tell him I wanted to take a walk around the street, but I was actually going to the cyber café to feed my enthusiasm of this new thing call the internet. I would spend eight hundred naira everyday just to be alone with the computer. I didn't know anything about a keyboard so I just didn't know where to start, I would strike a key and watch on the screen to see what happens. For the most part I wasted eight hundred naira achieving nothing and sometimes I'd request help from the café attendant. As time past I became better each day with a lot of money in the pocket of the café owner, but I was resolved to achieve my purpose.

The coming years and it's challenges

I eventually gained admission into the university and I stayed away from the computer for a very long time. Before my final year, computer and the internet became very popular with a few owning a laptop. I remember it was 2005, the then course coordinate of the anatomy department and my supervisor, who himself was a student of Cisco academy at the time moved for the introduction of ICT in the curriculum of anatomy department, wherewith, he was the lecturer. That renewed my interest and enthusiasm, and with him I learnt so many things. I owe my success today to him, Prof. S. B. Danborno, department of Human Anatomy, Ahmadu bello university Zaria, Nigeria. I made a B in that exam.

First official training in computer

2008 I was enlisted into the national youth service corp, this program is mandatory for every citizen of Nigeria who graduated from the university, the purpose of it I still can't decipher.

While I was there I was concerned that my one year service may end up as a waste of time if I don't deliberately do something different. So I enrolled myself in a local training centre where I was taught computer appreciation and the use of Microsoft office suite. While I appreciate that certificate very much I still needed something more, the world was going cyber and I'm still limited by the lack of access. Alas, I saw an ad on a flyer someone gave me while I was job hunting, NIIT was doing a scholarship test and they gave an open invited to everyone to come, a recipe for scam. I did well and attended the interview, the scholarship turn out to be a discount program where 40% is slashed from the fee. It was still too high.

Gainfully employed ICT position

In the later part of 2009 I was asked to work in my local church, a position I can never refuse, I mean who refuses the opportunity to work for God. Good enough I was giving the opportunity to handle all the computer related issues in the office, there is where I perfected all the rudimentary knowledge of ICT.

At this time am on Facebook, and I have an email account.

2017 and the Google entrance

Earned course medal

At the end of 2016, there was so much noise of multileveled internet marketing and all those crazy stuff that really didn't work out. One of such that got my attention was cryptocurrency. I usually hate to be faced with something I like but I don't have any knowledge of, cryptocurrency like internet tickled my fancy. The people introducing it only have enough knowledge to get people to give them money, but that was not me I needed more, if possible I want to be a miner of it. So I begin studying, this endeavour lead me to become a bride of the internet, I searched every corner for info, every site, page and article then I understood it's workings. The multileveled part of the whole thing really didn't work out well but the knowledge spur me to begin to take advantage of the endless possibilities.

Amberneg cooking oil was born

Even though amberneg is a brand name for a cooking oil, it was conceived in the intercourse of the internet. Every jot of it's concept. Now, as an internet child it has to be sustained by the internet. While surfing the net one day I stumbled in Google digital skills program. The rest is history, I have the digital skill for Africa certification.

Finally, my biggest inspiration came from the movie: “the internship”, it's a film about Google (parental guidance is strongly advised).