For sixty straight hours in Abuja, time seemed to bend around lines of code, human focus, and an idea bigger than a record attempt. When Abel Yakubu finally stepped away from his workstation late on Sunday, 23 November 2025, he had done more than outlast the clock, he had quietly placed Nigeria at the centre of a global conversation about technology, learning, and what sustained commitment can achieve.
Yakubu, a Nigerian-born cloud engineer with NexEdge Technologies in Germany, was officially confirmed by Guinness World Records as the holder of the title for the longest computer programming lesson, a marathon session that ran from Friday morning to Sunday night without breaking continuity. In doing so, he pushed past the previous global benchmark of 48 hours and 15 minutes, rewriting the record books with a 60-hour lesson that demanded mental clarity as much as physical endurance.
Yet the significance of the moment lay not merely in the length of the session, but in what filled those hours. Rather than repeating simple routines, Yakubu led an intensive, structured lesson in cloud computing, guiding learners through practical concepts on Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. The choice was deliberate. Cloud infrastructure now sits at the heart of modern digital economies, and Yakubu’s teaching reflected more than a decade of professional experience working at the intersection of software, systems, and scale.
The atmosphere in Abuja was one of collective effort rather than individual spectacle. Dozens of learners followed the lesson closely, while independent witnesses and official observers ensured every minute met Guinness World Records’ strict requirements. The session was streamed live across major social media platforms, allowing a wider audience to watch a rare blend of education and endurance unfold in real time. “I, Abel Yakubu of NexEdge Technologies, with the support of 30 committed participants and 20 independent witnesses, have been approved as the Guinness World Record title holder for the Longest Computer Programming Lesson,” he later confirmed, marking the end of an intense but carefully planned journey.
That journey had begun months earlier. Preparation stretched over two months, with meticulous attention paid to lesson flow, compliance, and the logistics of sustaining a continuous teaching session. Yakubu has since described the overnight hours as the most punishing, when fatigue set in and concentration became a discipline in itself. What carried him through, he has explained, was a clear sense of purpose: the desire to inspire young people to take technology seriously, especially as artificial intelligence and cloud services redefine the skills demanded by the global workforce.
This purpose is not theoretical for Yakubu. Over the past year, he has trained more than 200 young Nigerians, many of whom are seeking pathways into a technology sector that increasingly rewards practical competence over geography. His message to them is consistent: strong digital skills, built patiently and collaboratively, can open doors far beyond national borders. He has also been vocal in encouraging parents to support their children’s interest in technology, seeing early exposure as a critical investment rather than a distraction.
Guinness World Records’ recognition of the feat speaks to more than personal resilience. It highlights the power of planning, teamwork, and shared belief, while reinforcing Nigeria’s place within a fast-growing global network of technology educators and practitioners. In a world where innovation is often measured by speed, Yakubu’s record offers a different lesson, sometimes progress is made by staying present, teaching continuously, and refusing to step away.
Long after the final hour was logged and the record confirmed, the image that endures is not just of a man teaching for sixty hours, but of a country asserting its relevance through knowledge.
In that sense, Abel Yakubu’s longest programming lesson stands as both a personal milestone and a quiet declaration: Nigeria’s future in technology is being written, patiently and persistently, one line of code at a time.
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