UNILAG Mechanical Engineering First-Class Graduate Behind YarnGPT.

A University of Lagos mechanical engineering graduate, Saheed Azeez, has spoken about his journey to a first-class degree and the story behind YarnGPT, a text-to-speech artificial intelligence platform he built to speak Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. Azeez, who grew up in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, said he was a consistently strong student from an early age, despite coming from a modest family background where his father prioritised paying school fees above other expenses. His academic performance dipped somewhat during junior secondary school, where he says he struggled to stand out despite being bright, but he began winning prizes once he got to senior secondary school, eventually emerging as one of the top performers in a state-wide chemistry competition and serving as his school's Head Boy. He credited the turnaround to a decision to start studying independently rather than waiting for exams, a habit he carried into university. Azeez said an early interest in robotics, developed with a friend in junior secondary school, ultimately led him to choose mechanical engineering — which he considered the closest fit among engineering options available to him. University life was not without early setbacks. Azeez recorded his lowest CGPA, around 4.21, in his first semester, which he attributes to not yet understanding how to navigate the academic system. He said he had set his sights on a perfect 5.0 CGPA rather than merely a first class, a goal shaped by strong UTME results and early academic confidence. His third year, he said, turned out to be his strongest, helped by a growing interest in thermodynamics and closer bonds with coursemates who supported one another through difficult topics. Describing his study habits, Azeez said he avoided reading at night, generally stopping by around 8pm, and instead front-loaded his reading early in each semester rather than during holidays, intensifying his effort as exams approached. He said understanding what individual lecturers expected — both in content and in how answers should be presented — was central to his strategy. On the AI project that has drawn attention beyond his academic results, Azeez said the idea for YarnGPT emerged in his second year, driven by a desire to build practical tech skills ahead of graduation. After seeing text-to-speech models built for European languages, he decided to attempt something similar for Nigerian languages. He said a virtual final-year semester, combined with hostel renovations that kept him at home, gave him the time needed to complete the project over roughly two months. He released the first version as open source, saying he believes in making such work available for others to build upon. Azeez said his family, including his father, celebrated the achievement publicly, but that he personally does not see it as a major turning point, viewing it instead as an early step in a longer journey. Reflecting on how to support the next generation of engineering students, Azeez called for greater emphasis on practical, hands-on training in Nigerian universities, alongside increased funding and partnerships with engineering and technology companies to improve laboratory equipment.