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AI-Driven Code Optimization: Using Machine Learning to Refactor and Enhance Code Performance
In a fast-changing discipline in which technology all too often outstrips comprehension, Chukwubuikem Victory Onwukwe is far from a trend-seeker but instead analyzes and critiques them and molds them as useful tools to bring real systems to their full potential.
Chukwubuikem Victor Onwukwe
An experienced software engineer with a steadfast commitment to compute simplicity and long term performance, Onwukwe has more recently established an unconventional path at the intersection of software engineering and machine learning—one focused on the poorly developed niche of AI-enabled optimisation of code.
While the community at large has been thus far focused on natural language processing, images generated by AI, and agents operating by themselves, a parallel conversation has been taking place in comparative obscurity by Onwukwe: how do models learn to not simply produce code but also understand and rewrite it with the elegance and context-aware precision of an experienced developer?
This question has fueled his research over the past several years as he has constructed and honed systems to do more than produce syntactically correct code—which instead analyze codebases, identify bottlenecks, reason about algorithmic trade-offs, and propose thoughtful optimizations. The essence of his ideology is not automata as a goal but smart augmentation: tools learn from code as a developer does by observing patterns, understanding domain intent, and adapting through feedback.
Behind Onwukwe’s research and engineering lies a conviction that optimisation is as much an art as it is a science. Traditional optimisation methods rely on rules—proven heuristic and hacks at compile time—but they shatter on a daily basis when presented with large, heterogeneous codebases built by dozens of developers over decades. Context matters. Domain convention matters. What would be a fantastic optimization in one subsystem would wreak havoc on another. Here is where Onwukwe’s machine learning infrastructures come into the equation: they don’t merely learn performance profiles but also learn development ecosystems.
One of his more thought-provoking undertakings was the creation of a custom transformer model trained on millions of open-source repository refactoring patterns.
The model was not simply searching for the usual redundant loops and unnecessary overhead.
The model was trained to read semantic intent—proceeding on the basis, say, that code used in real-time data processing has incredibly dissimilar performance constraints than code used in a batch job for a periodical analytics workload.
By feeding the model metadata about module usage and system design as well as runtime patterns as part of its training data set, the model was taught to propose optimizations that respected both performance and functional correctness in the code.
Onwukwe’s approach contradicts the doxa of needing to optimize as aggressively as they possibly can. Models he trains will typically suggest less complicated, easier-to-explain options that build incrementally on performance while enhancing maintainability, a considered tradeoff all too commonly overlooked by software developers today. Speed and memory are as important to him as keeping things less complicated to comprehend in the long term. “Optimization without sustainability is technical debt with better benchmarks.”
Another feature of his work is the presence of feedback loops. Unlike a static linter or black-box AI tool, his systems learn from developer decisions on an ongoing basis. Whenever a developer spurns a recommendation, the system does not simply note the spurning but the why, if it is able to do so.
Over time it begins to gain a localized sense of team taste, architectural convention, and concerns around performance. The result is a co-evolution of code and machine intelligence—a two-way conversation rather than a prescription.
Peers describe Onwukwe as a demanding and careful person who insists on the long path in experimentation to ground conclusions in reproducibility and worldly applicability. He brings a scientific mindset to a discipline more and more hijacked by hype. In a conference setting, he’ll puncture assumptions models “getting” code by insisting on demonstrable, iterative understanding on the basis of developer confidence. Simple alteration of code by a system is inadequate; it has to do it in a way a human co-worker would approve of, if even enjoy.
While his work is necessarily technical in purpose, its importance is philosophical. Onwukwe is challenging the underlying principle of partnership with a machine, not as a tool to simply receive instructions from but as a collaborator whose competence is refined by shared direction.
His vision is one in which the coding process itself is a conversation: developers author the code, AI deconstructs and optimizes it, and together build not only useful software but beautiful, efficient, and coherent systems.
In a world increasingly dependent on software, the costs of optimization are no longer computational, now they are ecological, they are economic, they are ethical.
Work by Chukwubuikem Victory Onwukwe makes it clear that at the heart of good software is not speed alone, but thoughtfulness. And in translating the reasoning of machines and the discretion of engineers, he is not simply optimising code, he is optimising the shape of development itself.
DStv has launched a new campaign tagged “We Got You”, aimed at giving customers more entertainment value at the start of the year without additional cost.
DStv
The campaign, which runs from January 1 to February 28, 2026, allows subscribers who pay for their current package in full to enjoy an automatic upgrade to the next DStv package.
The initiative is designed to ease the pressure that often comes with January, a period marked by school resumption, tighter budgets and increased household demands.
Through the offer, DStv is rewarding customer loyalty by unlocking more channels, stories, sports, children’s content, local productions and international programmes at no extra charge.
Speaking on the campaign, Tope Oshunkeye, Executive Head of Marketing, West Africa, MultiChoice, said, “We want our customers to step into the year feeling valued.
“When you buy your package, we upgrade you because you deserve more. This is our way of bringing extra excitement, choice and convenience into your home.”
According to DStv, the offer is open to existing subscribers who remain active during the promotion period, customers who reconnect their decoders, and new subscribers who join between January 1 and February 28.
Under the offer, subscribers who pay for DStv Yanga will be upgraded to DStv Confam, Confam customers will receive DStv Compact, Compact subscribers will be upgraded to Compact Plus, while Compact Plus customers will enjoy access to DStv Premium.
The upgrade applies only to decoder viewing, and subscribers will revert to their original packages at the end of the promotion period.
Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has officially given way to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), signalling a pivotal shift in the country’s revenue administration framework as the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act 2025 takes full effect from January 1, 2026.
NRS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the landmark legislation in June 2025, alongside a comprehensive package of tax reforms designed to streamline compliance, expand the tax net and bolster federal revenue for critical infrastructure and social services.
At a colourful ceremony in Abuja on December 30, 2025, NRS Executive Chairman, Dr Zacch Adedeji, unveiled the agency’s new logo and corporate identity, describing it as a beacon of modernisation and efficiency.
Adedeji, who doubles as the pioneer helmsman, stated that the fresh branding embodies “a renewed commitment to a unified, service-driven revenue system” in line with global standards and Nigeria’s economic aspirations.
“The new identity underscores continuity in mandate, enhanced capacity and proactive taxpayer support, fostering trust and shared prosperity,” he added, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Dare Adekanmbi.
The NRS emergence caps decades of advocacy for tax overhaul, repealing the FIRS (Establishment) Act 2007 and vesting the new body with broader powers for revenue assessment, collection and accountability.
Judicial hurdles were cleared when an FCT High Court dismissed suits seeking to stall implementation, paving the way for the four key Acts — Nigeria Revenue Service, Tax Administration, Nigeria Tax and Joint Revenue Board — to roll out seamlessly.
Despite pockets of controversy, including claims of bill alterations, the Budget Office affirmed the laws’ authenticity, prioritising fiscal stability and investor confidence.
For ordinary Nigerians and enterprises, the NRS promises simplified processes, digital innovations and reduced red tape to ease compliance burdens while curbing evasion.
Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Chairman, Mrs Aderonke Atoyebi, reassured that core values of integrity, fairness and professionalism persist, with staff nationwide driving the transition.
Industry watchers anticipate a surge in non-oil revenue, crucial as Nigeria navigates global headwinds, with the NRS positioned to elevate the tax-to-GDP ratio through transparent engagement.
Gold remains one of the most powerful commodities in the global financial architecture. It is widely recognized that, for traders in Nigeria, specifically, currency pressures, inflation expectations, and shifts in global liquidity make up the macro environment more often than not; hence, understanding the correlation of gold with key Forex assets is more of an economic insight than a trading tactic.
The correlation between gold and currencies, equities, bonds, and even energy markets provides a broader framework for interpreting global risk sentiment. A growing number of Nigerian investors use this correlation to hedge against inflation, read capital-flow trends, and adjust trading strategies across major currency pairs.
Why Gold Matters in Today’s Macro Environment
This can be explained by looking at the larger picture and how global factors either positively or negatively impact the price of gold: spiraling inflation, geopolitical tension, tightening by central banks, and the flight-to-safety dynamic that heightens in moments of market stress. African traders, especially those active with international brokers such as JustMarkets, are very sensitive to how gold performs not only as a commodity but also as a macro indicator.
Indeed, the strongest correlations of gold are more often found with the US dollar, major bond markets, equity indices, and energy instruments in periods of high geopolitical risk. Each one of these offers a different angle for Nigerian traders to approach macroeconomic changes.
Gold and US Dollar: The Most Watched Correlation
The inverse correlation between XAU and the USD remains one of the bedrock relationships in global finance. It usually weighs on gold because a stronger dollar raises the opportunity cost of holding the metal. Conversely, the opposite has occurred when the market has priced in rate cuts, rising inflation, or policy uncertainty.
This relationship provides Forex traders in Nigeria with a macro perspective:
USD strength; pressure on gold; bullish signals for USD-pairs like USD/JPY or USD/CHF
USD weakness; appreciation of gold; potential strengthening of the non-USD majors
This dynamic is often emphasized by platforms such as JustMarkets in their markets analytics, allowing traders to match the technical setup with real policy shifts from the Federal Reserve.
Gold and Bond Yields: A Window into Global Risk Appetite
Gold is highly sensitive to real interest rates. When US real yields fell, it sent gold higher because investors saw it as a hedge against inflation and thus a haven. Yet higher yields tend to dampen demand for precious metals.
To traders, this correlation is a reason for short-run volatility around announcements like:
US CPI
FOMC decisions
Results of Treasury auctions
In countries like Nigeria, when domestic inflation is high and Naira pressure amplifies sensitivity to global risk, the movement of gold often proves an early indicator of how capital might rotate between safe havens and risk assets worldwide.
Gold and Equity Markets: The Fear Gauge
While geopolitical tensions or recession fears tend to deflate equity markets, they strengthen gold. This negative relationship is considered helpful for traders looking to deduce spikes in volatility and risk-off flows. Examples include:
Sharp US30 or NAS100 declines coupled with XAU/USD rallies
Broad-based sell-offs driven by political uncertainty or commodity shocks
This dynamic helps explain to the Nigerian analysts focused on policy and political economy how global risk events transmit to the local market through capital-flow sentiment.
Gold and Energy: Transmission via the Inflation Channels
Although gold and oil are not directly correlated, both respond to inflation expectations. Surging oil prices can fuel inflation forecasts that support the price of gold.
This channel is particularly important in the case of Nigeria, a major oil exporter. When crude markets temporarily tighten due to supply disruptions or OPEC policy decisions, gold becomes a complement to hedge against global inflation risk.
Trading with the Use of Gold Correlations
A structured approach allows traders to put gold’s relationships into practice:
Start with the macro driver.
Identify whether inflation, geopolitics, or monetary policy is the primary force shaping markets.Translate the macro event into correlation expectations.
Example: falling bond yields lead to a weaker USD, which in turn supports gold and could lead to upside in EUR/USD.Use correlation clusters instead of isolated signals.
Gold + USD + bonds provide a more reliable picture than gold alone.Apply risk management aligned with volatility cycles.
Gold’s volatility often spills over into major currency pairs.
Market platforms like JustMarkets emphasize these cross-asset links to help traders simplify complex macro interactions into actionable insights.
Why Nigerian Traders Pay Close Attention
The Nigerian economy is highly integrated into global commodity flows; inflation cycles, dollar liquidity, and geopolitical developments tend to reach the local market faster than the pace at which policy adjustments can be made.
Gold serves as a barometer of global risk, a hedge against currency depreciation, and a signal of moves in the key USD pairs that headline Nigeria’s trading activity.
In a region increasingly active in the Forex market, understanding the relationships involving gold is not just about trading but also a strategic tool for analyzing global economic behavior
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