Abeokuta Polo Club Trains 120 Youths in AI, Vibe Coding, Web Development at First Anniversary
In a move to bridge the digital skills gap among Nigerian youths, the Abeokuta Polo Club has trained and empowered 120 young people in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Vibe Coding and Web Application Development as part of activities marking its first anniversary.
The initiative reflects the club’s growing commitment to youth empowerment, innovation and community development beyond the traditional boundaries of polo and sports.
The three-day intensive training programme, organised by the club and held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, between Monday June 1 and Wednesday June 3, brought together young participants drawn from the host community, exposing them to some of the most in-demand technological skills shaping the global digital economy today.
Speaking at the opening of the programme, Club President Dr. Sheriff Adams Abdurrahman said the initiative was deliberate and purposeful, designed to build the technological capacity of young Nigerians at a time when digital skills have become critical to National growth and socio-economic development.
Dr. Abdurrahman stated that the Abeokuta Polo Club was established not only to promote the game of polo but also to make a measurable positive impact on the community in which it operates, stressing that both objectives are inseparable from each other.
“The club is not just about sports; it is a lifestyle and a platform to improve the wellbeing of our people. By equipping youths with relevant technological skills, we are contributing meaningfully to the socio-economic growth of Ogun State,” he said.
He noted that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, vibe coding and web application development have become essential tools in today’s digital economy, particularly in driving e-commerce, innovation and entrepreneurship among young people.
Abdurrahman further disclosed that at the conclusion of the training, ten outstanding participants would be carefully selected for further grooming under the club’s Polo Clinic initiative, a structured programme aimed at identifying and developing homegrown polo players from within the Abeokuta community.
“This approach will ensure sustainable growth of the sport in the state while engaging young people productively,” he said, describing the dual pathway of tech skills and sporting development as central to the club’s long-term vision for youth empowerment.
The Club’s ICT and Welfare Officer, Samuel Babatola Omotosho, who served as the Chief organiser of the training curriculum, explained that the programme was carefully tailored to align with the needs, aspirations and realities of contemporary Nigerian youths.
Omotosho said the three-day training exposed participants to three core areas: AI literacy, web application development and vibe coding, an innovative and increasingly popular approach to software development that allows users to create functional applications using natural language rather than complex, traditional programming syntax.
“With vibe coding, participants don’t necessarily need to write complex programming languages. You simply express what you want, and the application interprets and generates the code,” Omotosho explained, adding that the method significantly lowers the barrier to entry for young people who may have previously considered coding inaccessible or intimidating.
He stated that the expected outcome of the programme was unambiguous, every participant must leave the training with a solid understanding of Artificial Intelligence and vibe coding, and each trainee must have successfully designed a fully functional application of their own choice before the programme concludes.
Omotosho also noted that the training was already producing visible results within the host community, engaging young people meaningfully and contributing to local economic activity, while further strengthening the growing acceptance and goodwill of the Abeokuta Polo Club among residents and community stakeholders alike.
One of the most compelling addresses at the event came from a respected community leader and royal figure, Chief Abiodun Olashile, the Orunto of Owu Kingdom, who challenged young participants to raise their ambitions and deepen their engagement with technology beyond surface-level use.
Chief Olashile described the training initiative in expansive terms, framing it not as a routine programme or a commemorative gesture, but as a legacy project a lasting investment in humanity that he said would outlive every founder, organiser and participant in the room.
“True development lies in transferring vision and capacity to others, especially the youth, so they can continue to make meaningful impact beyond personal interests,” he said.
The royal leader stressed that technology-driven knowledge, and artificial intelligence in particular, is no longer optional in today’s world, warning that any product, service or individual not powered or informed by AI is rapidly becoming irrelevant in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
He challenged the young participants to move beyond the basic and passive consumption of AI tools toward what he described as “super intelligence” — the higher-order ability to fully understand, consciously direct and purposefully apply artificial intelligence to solve specific local, personal and national challenges with speed and efficiency.
“Anything not powered by AI is fast becoming obsolete,” Olashile warned, urging the youth to position themselves as leaders rather than followers in the unfolding technology revolution.
He commended the Abeokuta Polo Club for identifying early with the realities of the digital age, noting that technological advancement has fundamentally changed the nature of life and work, and that early exposure to these tools places young people at a decisive advantage.
Olashile concluded by affirming that the programme clearly demonstrates the club’s sincere commitment to shaping a more informed, more productive and future-ready generation of Nigerians.
Since its establishment, the Abeokuta Polo Club has positioned itself as more than a sporting Institution. Through initiatives such as this anniversary training programme, the club has consistently demonstrated that it regards its relationship with the Abeokuta community as a core part of its identity and responsibility.
The integration of the Polo Clinic pathway, which will see technically gifted training graduates introduced to polo as a sport, further underscores this philosophy, creating a unique pipeline that simultaneously addresses youth unemployment, digital exclusion and the development of local sporting talent.
For the 120 young people who participated in this year’s anniversary programme, the experience represents far more than a three-day training. It marks the beginning of a new relationship with technology and with the limitless possibilities it holds.
Global Mirror News will continue to follow the progress of the Abeokuta Polo Club’s Polo Clinic initiative and the development of its 120 trained participants.
