NYSC SAED Portal • 2023-2024

Managing skills acquisition for 200,000+ Nigerian youth.

A comprehensive government platform designed to manage the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program for the National Youth Service Corps, serving corps members nationwide.

Role
Backend Engineer
Company
Sidmach Technologies
Duration
12 Months
ASP.NET Core 6.0 C# 10 SQL Server 2019 Azure Cloud Redis JWT Auth

Project Interface

MY TEAM MEMBERS?
MY ROLE AND SUMMARY

I was the lead backend engineer on this project. My job was to build the entire backend infrastructure from scratch—design the database, create the APIs, integrate payment systems, and make sure everything could handle hundreds of thousands of users without breaking.

This wasn't just about writing code. I had to think about scalability, security, and performance from day one. The platform needed to serve corps members across Nigeria, often with spotty internet connections, while handling sensitive government data.

I built the authentication system with JWT, designed the SQL Server database schema, implemented Redis caching to speed things up, and optimized queries that were taking 3+ seconds down to under 500ms. I also integrated payment gateways and built the notification systems for emails and SMS.

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(Determined/Let's build moment)

Key Achievement: Successfully launched a platform serving 200,000+ users with 99.7% uptime, handling 5,000 concurrent users during peak registration periods.

CHALLENGE, EMPATHY AND PLAN

How do you digitize a manual government process for 200,000 people?

Before this platform, the SAED program ran on paper forms, Excel sheets, and manual processes. Corps members had no way to track their training progress. Administrators were drowning in paperwork. Certificates took months to process.

The challenge wasn't just technical—it was about understanding the real pain points:

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(Thinking/Problem-solving)

For corps members: They wanted visibility. Where am I in the process? When will I get my certificate? Can I access this from my phone?

For administrators: They needed to manage thousands of registrations, verify documents, track attendance, and generate reports—all without losing their minds.

The technical reality: We needed to build a system that could scale to 200,000+ users, work on slow internet connections, integrate with payment providers, and meet government security standards. No pressure, right?

The core question: How do we build something reliable enough for government use, simple enough for everyone to use, and fast enough to handle Nigeria's internet reality?

THE SOLUTION

Building for scale, security, and Nigeria's internet reality.

I designed the backend with three main goals: scalability, performance, and reliability.

The architecture: We went with ASP.NET Core 6.0 for the backend, SQL Server for data storage, and Redis for caching. Everything was hosted on Azure with geo-replication for the database. I used the Repository pattern to keep things clean and testable.

Handling scale: With 200,000+ potential users, I knew we'd have traffic spikes during registration periods. I implemented Redis caching for frequently accessed data—user sessions, lookup tables, dashboard stats. This alone improved our concurrent user handling by 300%.

Performance optimization: Some database queries were taking 3-5 seconds initially. I rewrote them, added proper indexes, and moved complex operations to stored procedures. Response times dropped to under 500ms. Users could feel the difference.

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(Coding/Working hard)
TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE

The backend systems powering the platform.

Backend Framework
ASP.NET Core 6.0 with C# 10, following clean architecture principles. RESTful API design with proper separation of concerns using Repository pattern.
Database
SQL Server 2019 with Entity Framework Core. Code-first approach with optimized indexing strategies for common queries.
Caching & Performance
Redis for session management and frequently accessed data. Improved concurrent user handling by 300%.
Authentication & Security
JWT Bearer tokens with role-based authorization. Passwords hashed with BCrypt. SSL/TLS encryption throughout.
Third-party Integrations
Payment gateways (Paystack/Flutterwave), SMTP for emails, SMS integration for notifications.
Cloud & Deployment
Azure App Service with CI/CD pipelines. Application Insights for monitoring. Azure SQL Database with geo-replication.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Visual breakdown of the technical implementation.

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DATABASE SCHEMA

Entity relationships and data structure.

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MORE FROM THE PROJECT

Additional screenshots and features.

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IMPACT AND LEARNING

The results speak for themselves.

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The platform transformed how NYSC manages the SAED program. Corps members could register, track training, and receive digital certificates all from their phones. Administrators got real-time insights into program effectiveness across all 36 states.

In the first 6 months, we processed over 150,000 registrations. The system handled peak loads during registration windows without breaking a sweat. Database optimizations reduced query times by 83%. The Redis caching strategy improved concurrent user handling by 300%.

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(Celebration/Success)

What I learned from this:

Build for scale from day one. Those early architectural decisions around caching and database optimization saved us from major refactoring later. It's easier to start with the right foundation.

Government platforms are different. Extra attention to security, data integrity, and audit trails. Every transaction needed to be traceable. Compliance wasn't optional.

Performance is a feature. Users in Nigeria often have slow internet. Every millisecond matters. Profiling queries and implementing strategic caching made a massive difference in user experience.

Resilience is key. Working with varied internet connectivity taught me to build systems with proper error handling, retry mechanisms, and graceful degradation. The system had to work even when things went wrong.