From Ilorin Network Operations to HPC Infrastructure in Finland

Ifetayo Agboola’s career in digital infrastructure has taken him from network operations in Ilorin to data-centre and high-performance computing work in Europe.

Agboola, who grew up in Ilorin, Kwara State, developed an interest in computers during childhood. He has recalled that he began secretly switching on his mother’s computer at the age of six, saying, “I just knew there was a power button.”

He later attended Federal Government College, Ilorin, where he joined the computer club. His involvement in school projects and technology activities helped shape his career direction. “After representing the computer club and developing projects, I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he said.

Building practical experience in Nigeria

Agboola enrolled at Babcock University in 2010 to study Computer Science Information Systems and graduated in 2014. During his time at the university, he helped build network infrastructure for its digital voting system, an experience he said showed him how technology could be applied beyond programming theory.

During his National Youth Service Corps assignment at the University of Ilorin Network Operations Centre, he supported connectivity for computer-based testing and staff quarters. He also helped supervise the installation of a 10-kilometre fibre-optic link.

Agboola described the experience as a foundation for his professional development in infrastructure operations. “My NYSC tenure at the NOC was a true eye-opener. It provided my foundational operational experience in digital infrastructure,” he said.

His visibility and work at the centre led to a recommendation for an opening at Coollink. He joined the company in November 2017, working with fibre-to-the-home services, wide-area networks, very small aperture terminals and maritime satellite communications.

Agboola also said he was part of the core technical team that deployed Facebook Express Wi-Fi hotspots across Lagos. He described Coollink as an important learning stage in understanding the systems operating behind connectivity services.

He later moved to Globacom after being encouraged to apply by a cousin working at Huawei. At Globacom, he worked on 4G expansion in Lagos and subsequently contributed to efforts to rehabilitate the company’s network in Ghana.

According to Agboola’s account, network traffic under the team’s oversight in Ghana grew from 3 terabytes to 10 terabytes within six months and reached nearly 30 terabytes over 18 months. He also shared a 100 per cent availability milestone for cells in Ghana on LinkedIn. The figures and milestone are based on his account.

Transition to global infrastructure roles

Agboola said referrals played a significant role in his career progression. “Every major role I’ve held came through referrals. If I had relied solely on formal applications, I might never have been picked,” he said.

His work-related LinkedIn posts attracted the attention of an Amazon Web Services recruiter, who contacted him about a role in Germany. Agboola subsequently completed five interview rounds and joined AWS’s data-centre operations team in Frankfurt.

At AWS, his responsibilities included hardware troubleshooting, networking, artificial intelligence infrastructure deployments, commissioning and decommissioning, performance planning, expansion and bringing new sites online. He also represented the company’s Black Employee Network at a summit in Washington in 2025.

After four years at AWS, Agboola left the company in 2026 to join XTX Markets in Finland. His current role as an HPC Infrastructure Support Engineer involves supporting high-performance computing clusters and working with high-speed networking, servers, switches, InfiniBand networking and direct liquid cooling.

The move introduced him to HPC infrastructure, an area he had not previously worked in. “It’s my first time. So I’m also learning a lot,” he said.

Looking ahead

Agboola said he intends to deepen his expertise in HPC infrastructure, explore leadership opportunities and contribute to African artificial intelligence infrastructure development. He also wants to help more people enter data-centre engineering, a field he said remains relatively small in Nigeria and across Africa.

“I think my career is still unfolding. I’m moving more into the HPC infrastructure and seeing which opportunities to deepen in terms of understanding the system,” he said.