Saheed Azeez Biography
Who Is Saheed Azeez?
Azeez Saheed Ayanniyi, widely known professionally as Saheed Azeez, is a Nigerian software engineer, innovator, and first-class Mechanical Engineering graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) best known as the creator of YarnGPT, an open-source text-to-speech artificial intelligence model built specifically for Nigerian accents and indigenous languages. His invention gained national attention after he built it as a final-year student, and it later became one of the rare Nigerian hackathon projects to be commercially acquired, when Bluechip Technologies purchased YarnGPT in June 2026.
Saheed Azeez Quick Facts
- Full name: Azeez Saheed Ayanniyi
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Occupation: Software engineer, AI innovator
- Known for: Creator of YarnGPT
- Education: First-class degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG)
- Hometown: Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State
- Milestone: First runner-up, 2023 Bluechip Data & AI Hackathon
- Acquisition: YarnGPT acquired by Bluechip Technologies, June 2026
Saheed Azeez Early Life and Family
Saheed Azeez grew up in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, Nigeria, in a family of three children. He has described himself as having been strong academically from an early age, consistently ranking among the top students in his class throughout nursery and primary school without needing to study excessively. He has said his family was neither wealthy nor poor, describing their circumstances as closer to modest than comfortable, but noted that his father prioritized his children’s education above almost everything else, always ensuring school fees and books were paid for even when other expenses had to be sacrificed.
Saheed Azeez State of Origin
Saheed Azeez grew up in Iju-Ishaga, in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Saheed Azeez Education
Azeez studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), graduating with a first-class degree. During his second year of university, he began teaching himself programming to gain an edge for the job market after graduation. The idea for YarnGPT took shape in his final year, when he decided to focus on machine learning and, inspired by existing text-to-speech models built for European English, resolved to build a similar tool tailored to Nigerian languages. He has credited the shift to virtual lectures during his final semester, combined with hostel renovations that kept him at home, with giving him the uninterrupted time he needed to complete the project.
Saheed Azeez Career and YarnGPT
Azeez built YarnGPT, an open-source text-to-speech AI model trained on the inflections and nuances of Nigerian speech, capable of reading text aloud in Nigerian-accented English as well as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa, with additional capability for instant video dubbing. The project reflected his goal of solving distinctly Nigerian problems with AI, rather than relying solely on tools built around Western datasets and accents.
In 2023, while still a student, Azeez entered Bluechip Technologies’ Data & AI Hackathon and emerged as first runner-up, a result that first brought YarnGPT to wider industry attention. He continued developing the model after the competition, and its capabilities and open-source availability steadily built a following within Nigeria’s tech and AI community.
Bluechip Technologies Acquisition (2026)
In June 2026, Bluechip Technologies, a pan-African IT and data solutions firm operating across nine African countries, announced its acquisition of YarnGPT at the third edition of the Bluechip Data and AI Summit, held at Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos under the theme “The Future, Now: AI-Driven Transformation for Africa.” The acquisition was announced on stage by Bluechip co-founder and CEO Kazeem Tewogbade, who stated that Bluechip would continue “building” and “acquiring” products, and Azeez was invited on stage to meet the company’s co-founders following the announcement.
YarnGPT joined a growing Bluechip product portfolio that includes the Bluechip Data Platform, Cribro, BluPrime, and CashComplete. Bluechip co-founder Olumide Soyombo highlighted the deal as evidence of Africa’s competitive advantage in its young technology talent pool, noting that most leading AI systems are trained primarily on Western datasets, which makes Nigerian-language tools like YarnGPT especially significant for local relevance. Industry commentators described the deal as a rare example in Nigeria’s AI ecosystem of a hackathon project progressing directly to acquisition by an established technology company.
Saheed Azeez Net Worth
Saheed Azeez’s personal net worth, including the financial terms of the YarnGPT acquisition by Bluechip Technologies, has not been publicly disclosed. As a recent graduate whose primary public recognition stems from a single, recently acquired AI product, no verified or audited net worth figure is currently available.
Saheed Azeez Awards and Achievements
- First-class graduate, Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG)
- Creator of YarnGPT, an open-source Nigerian-language text-to-speech AI model
- First runner-up, 2023 Bluechip Data & AI Hackathon
- YarnGPT acquired by Bluechip Technologies (June 2026)
- Publicly recognized on stage at the Bluechip Data and AI Summit 2026 in Lagos
- Featured in interviews with the University of Lagos and Nigerian national media on his academic and innovation journey
Frequently Asked Questions About Saheed Azeez
Who is Saheed Azeez?
He is a Nigerian software engineer and University of Lagos graduate best known for creating YarnGPT, a text-to-speech AI model built for Nigerian accents and languages.
What is YarnGPT?
YarnGPT is an open-source AI model that converts text to speech in Nigerian-accented English and languages including Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa, and also supports instant video dubbing.
What did Saheed Azeez study?
He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), graduating with a first-class degree.
Where is Saheed Azeez from?
He grew up in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Did Saheed Azeez win any competitions?
Yes. He placed as first runner-up at Bluechip Technologies’ Data & AI Hackathon in 2023.
Who acquired YarnGPT?
Bluechip Technologies, a pan-African IT and data solutions company, acquired YarnGPT in June 2026, announcing the deal at its Data and AI Summit in Lagos.
What is Saheed Azeez’s net worth?
His net worth, including the financial terms of the YarnGPT acquisition, has not been publicly disclosed.
How did Saheed Azeez learn to program?
He taught himself programming during his second year at university, partly during periods of remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic era, to build skills he felt would give him an edge after graduation.
This biography is compiled from publicly available news reporting and interviews as of July 2026 and will be updated as Saheed Azeez’s career develops.