As Nigeria accelerates efforts to build a digitally skilled workforce capable of competing in the global economy, the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme is emerging as one of the Federal Government’s key initiatives for equipping young Nigerians with practical, in-demand technology skills.
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In Benue State, the programme is helping to expand the local technology ecosystem while connecting young people with opportunities in employment, internships,entrepreneurship and innovation. What began within a relatively small technology community has, according to Tuleun Kelvin, the 3MTT State Programme Manager for Benue, grown into a community of more than 6,000 members.
The stories emerging from the community illustrate the programme’s potential impact. Fellows who started with little or no technical background have gone on to secure internships and full-time employment, participate in hackathons, build startups and take on technology roles with local and international organisations.
Among them are fellows such as Victor Tseyina, who secured an internship with fintech company Gandaria and later won a state hackathon; Lucy Iorliam, who moved from the programme into internship and employment opportunities; and Mary Apenumbe, whose internship as a front-end software developer progressed into a full-time role.
For Kelvin, however, the transformation goes beyond learning how to code or acquiring technical certifications. He believes the programme is helping young people develop the problem-solving abilities, confidence, networks and practical experience needed to create value in an increasingly digital economy.
In this feature interview, Kelvin speaks about the growth of the 3MTT community in Benue, the success stories emerging from the initiative, the challenges of keeping young people engaged, the role of artificial intelligence in the future of work, and why consistency—not necessarily prior technical knowledge—can determine whether a learner succeeds.
1. Tell us about your journey into technology and community leadership. What inspired you to become the State Programme Manager for the 3MTT programme in Benue State?
My journey into the technology space was born out of frustration. I had just started finding my footing from a failed agricultural startup I co-founded with some friends at the time. Within the startup team, I led projects which involved constantly managing people. It was in my state of despondency that I started considering product management. I spoke to a few friends who were already in the space and they advised I go for product or projects since they were closely related and they came naturally to me. I started with some few youtube videos that gave me the preliminary background, then a few boot camps and the rest has been history.
2. How has the 3MTT programme evolved in Benue since its inception? Could you share the number of fellows in the state, the communities reached, and some of the milestones achieved so far?
So before 3MTT, we had just the Google developers group (GDG), which was a little tech community of less than 100 persons. When 3MTT came, I was able to further grow the tech ecosystem in the state to over 6000 members.
3. One of the goals of 3MTT is to equip Nigerians with globally competitive digital skills. Can you share some outstanding success stories from Benue-fellows, who have secured jobs, launched startups, built innovative solutions, or made significant career progress through the programme?
Imagine someone who never knew anything about tech, someone with zero background knowledge who only decided to take that lip of faith into our program, went ahead to not only finish strong but also did either get a job, land an internship role or build a startup…
That’s the story of Victor Tseyina who went ahead to land an intership role with a fintecth company called Gandaria, he went further to win a state hackathon challenge worth over 3 million…
Lucy Iorliam upon graduation landed an intership position too at the same gandari. She now works for both Jobberman and another company in the United States.
Mary Apenumbe also landed an internship role as a front-end software developer which has now converted into a full time role.
Agwu and Gege are in the testing phase of their telemedicine startup…
Luper Aondohemba now works as a fullstack sotware engineer at Efiko Management Consulting (a company in Abuja).
George and I think 4 other persons work with Learn2Earn now…there are several others enrolled into the program.
The milestones are many…
4. Beyond technical training, how has 3MTT contributed to building a vibrant technology community and innovation ecosystem in Benue State?
Those names I called are just a few persons that I know one-on-one, there are several others who are building amazing projects, and some have gotten promoted at their workplace because of their new and innovative ways to doing things. Over all, the ecosystem is becoming more vibrant.
5. Every transformative initiative faces challenges. What have been the biggest obstacles in implementing the programme in Benue, and how has your team addressed them?
For me, there have been a lot of challenges. But some of the most difficult for me was/is getting people to first;
Pick interest in the program.
Staying consistent till they finish.
My approach to solving this was/is to share real stories of people whose lives have been transformed as a result of them learning a new skill. I go further to constantly remind them of what else is possible.
Then the most important thing I do afterwards is to assign them to accountability partners using our peer learning model. This gets people more into the program and goes further to keep them into the program till finish.
Sadly, because what you’re offering to someone might be life changing, it doesn’t necessarily translate to getting their buy-in or commitment.
6. The digital economy is creating new opportunities for young Nigerians. In your view, what skills are currently in the highest demand, and how is 3MTT preparing Benue youths to compete in both local and global markets?
My response might be unpopular but well…
The one skill that is and will always be in demand is that problem solving skill; our abilities to solve problems and add value within organizations. But if I am to answer in the context you are asking, I’d say being able to use AI to enhance work in areas like software development, product marketing, cyber security.
7. Looking ahead, what are your priorities for the 3MTT community in Benue? Are there new partnerships, projects, or initiatives that participants and stakeholders should anticipate?
In terms of priorities, my focus majorly is around getting more people into the program, from undergraduates’ to early graduates and even persons that have just finished secondary school.
New partnerships are always coming up every week; I wouldn’t say much for now but trust me there are alot of opportunities in the pipeline for fellows/learners to take advantage of.
We currently have other amazing partnerships like the Learn2Earn program which is similar to ours but way more advanced and intense. There is the credi-corp partnership where fellows can take up device loans to ease their learning and increase their access to more opportunities.
More are actually coming
8. Finally, what message would you like to share with young Nigerians who are considering joining the 3MTT programme, and what role do you believe digital skills will play in shaping Nigeria’s future economy?
To every young Nigerian still on the fence, I’d say this: you don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. I didn’t. I came into tech from a failed startup and a lot of uncertainty, and the one thing that changed everything was simply deciding to take that leap of faith. That’s really all the programme asks of you at the start, everything else, the skill, the confidence, the community, comes after.
What I’d also add is that consistency matters more than talent here. I’ve watched people with zero technical background outwork people who came in “naturally gifted,” simply because they showed up every week and leaned on their accountability partners when motivation ran low. So if you’re worried you’re starting from nothing, that’s not a disqualifier, that’s just where most of our success stories started too.
As for the bigger picture, I genuinely believe digital skills are going to be one of the defining factors in Nigeria’s economic future. We’re not just training people to get jobs, we’re building a generation that can create jobs, solve local problems with global tools, and compete anywhere in the world without needing to leave home to do it. Every fellow who lands an internship, ships a startup, or gets promoted because they learned to use AI to work smarter, that’s the economy Benue, and Nigeria, is quietly building right now. I want more young people to see themselves in that story, and to know there’s a seat at the table for them too.
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