Illiteracy is a major challenge in Nigeria. However, one volunteer has inspired teachers to offer free adult literacy classes in their communities. And the program is already changing lives. 

It's school time in this corner of Lagos, and the students are arriving for the day's academic session. Their teacher addresses them before the commencement of classwork.

The students are mainly women and men who work in the markets and who live in the community where the school is located.

They never had any formal education during their childhood, but they are trying to get one as adults all thanks to a young man named Erezi Edoreh.

Erezi started the Spell Africa B2S free Adult Literacy program in 2016 to improve the literacy rate in his community and help tackle illiteracy in the country.

Erezi Edoreh described how he first started his campaign. "We did a street campaign at Igbo Efon community, where we shared flyers and individuals one on one, taking their phone numbers and their names. Interestingly, in just one hour that we went for the campaign, we got over 200 names. So at that point, when I saw that in one hour if I can get 200 names, then this project will be successful. When we started, they started trooping in little by little. And here we are today changing lives." 

Among those whose lives have been changed is Regina Akinwande, a petty trader. She could neither read nor write when she registered for the program, but she said that her life completely changed after starting the literacy program.

To sustain the program and keep it running, Erezi has engaged the services of volunteer teachers, who come in their spare time to teach for free.

Erezi Edoreh noted that the "volunteer teachers are beneficiary of education like you and I, who are working but they find time in the evenings, after their working hours, they come to the school to teach these students for free."

Among the volunteer teachers is Sani Saeed, a lawyer.

He comes in here now and then to teach some common aspects of the law. 

Sani Saeed said the work had not been easy as some of the students are older than him. 

Erezi Edoreh said the program so far has transformed the lives of over 125 people, enabling those who previously could not conduct daily tasks, such as going to the bank because they could not read or write, to finally do so.

Some of the students here are already aiming to continue the educational pursuit up to the highest level, saying they want to go to university.

Erezi Edoreh says he hopes to see these students graduate as lawyers and bankers, improving socially and economically to escape extreme poverty eventually.

In Nigeria, Close to six million people aren't able to read or write.