Flutterwave Co-Founder Says Young Nigerians Are Focused on Trends, Not Building

Flutterwave co-founder and former CEO, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has called out Nigeria’s youth. He said they are “a generation of influencers” who care more about appearances than creating lasting institutions.

Aboyeji shared these thoughts during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast last week. Clips from the chat went viral on social media on Tuesday.

“The generation of people who built Nigeria has passed away. What you have now are influencers. We’re a generation of influencers,” he said.

He pointed out that many young Nigerians focus on being noticed instead of making real contributions.

“So people are trained to perform, not to build. And you see it seeping into companies, where people want to perform, building a company, perform entrepreneurship,” he said.

“People don’t understand value. People don’t understand building. They don’t have the wisdom to build. They don’t know things take time.”

Aboyeji urged young people to stop chasing fake success and instead work on creating institutions that will last.

“It just takes a few people to just say, ‘Guys, I’m tired of performing,'” he said. He mentioned he left X, formerly Twitter, because “it’s just a waste of my time.”

He said public discussions are important but doubted if his peers could lead the country effectively.

“Today, is there anybody under the age of 50 who would be comfortable being your president?” he asked.

Aboyeji compared younger political figures to older ones, noting that President Bola Tinubu showed leadership skills at a young age.

“Tinubu, by the age of 35, was presidential candidate material. He financed National Democratic Coalition (NADECO),” he said.

He also mentioned Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress. He argued that young people often focus more on critiquing than building institutions.

“Same thing with Peter Obi, he built a bank… at 35, he owned a bank.”

“So all our generation of people that complain about Tinubu are doing, all we’ve done is insulting,” he said.

Aboyeji questioned the economic successes of his generation. “Who in our generation even owns one? Under the age of 50, who owns a bank that is under the age of 50?”

He expressed disappointment that many chase online fame instead of building real assets.

“We are different versions of Davido and Wizkid… we are just performing artists, all of us,” he said.

He called for a shift in thinking, saying, “Let me go and enter streets. And build. And build something that I can pass on to my children. Is it your Twitter you’re going to give your children?”

Reflecting on his own path, Aboyeji admitted he realized seeking attention online was not helpful.

“I can’t waste my time… while, at 35, my mates were buying banks. What did I buy?” he said.

He wrapped up with a harsh view of his generation’s legacy.

“So we’re a generation of jokers. We just need to tell ourselves the truth first… then we’ll now be able to say, ‘I think playtime is over.'