Flutterwave co-founder says young Nigerians focus too much on fame

Flutterwave co-founder and former CEO, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has spoken out against Nigeria’s youth. He said they are “a generation of influencers” who care more about looks than building real institutions.

Aboyeji shared his thoughts during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast last week. Clips from this discussion caught a lot of attention 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 stated.

The tech entrepreneur believes many young Nigerians are trained to seek fame instead of creating lasting value. “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 added.

He feels that many don’t understand real value or the importance of building. “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,” he said.

Aboyeji called on his generation to stop chasing what he called performative success. He wants them to focus on creating institutions that can last beyond their own time. “It just takes a few people to just say, ‘Guys, I’m tired of performing,’” he said, explaining that he left X, formerly Twitter, because “it’s just a waste of my time.”

He emphasized that public conversations matter. Still, he questioned if his generation has produced leaders who can truly govern the country. “Today, is there anybody under the age of 50 who would be comfortable being your president?” he asked.

He compared younger politicians to older ones, saying 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 noted.

Aboyeji also mentioned Peter Obi, the presidential candidate from the Nigerian Democratic Congress. He argued that his generation spends more time criticizing than building institutions. “Same thing with Peter Obi, he built a bank… at 35, he owned a bank,” he said.

He questioned the economic success of younger Nigerians, asking, “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 concern that many are chasing online fame instead of gaining real assets. “We are different versions of Davido and Wizkid… we are just performing artists, all of us,” he remarked.

He called for a change in mindset, 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 said he learned that seeking attention online is not helpful. “I can’t waste my time… while, at 35, my mates were buying banks. What did I buy?” he asked.

He ended with a straightforward 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.’”