Mixed reactions trail Moniepoint CEO Eniolorunda’s claim on Nigeria’s talent gap

I used to think intelligence is equally distributed around the world, but I am realizing that the environment shapes a lot of things that we consume on social media. I am realizing the value shaping our system now; what hook-up culture, yahoo-yahoo culture is a problem,” Mr Eniolorunda said.

Not only were we unable to locate people in the quantity and quality we required, but the individuals we did find did not meet the necessary global standards of quality. Additionally, we are competing not just with regional rivals but also with China, which is our main rival.

The CEO of Moniepoint, Mr. Eniolorunda, said, “I have world-class people working on the organization, and here I am, looking for Nigerians that can’t meet requirements to build world-class products.”

System of values
The fintech leader called for measures to raise the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the nation’s younger generation, blaming Nigeria’s educational system and social values for the country’s declining talent standards.

Mr. Eniolorunda bemoaned the fact that Nigerian societies already influence the content of social media consumption, which has significantly increased the get-rich-quick culture among young people but left the Nigerian population behind in terms of IQ.

“I hold our educational system accountable. I used to believe that Nigerians were exceptionally intelligent, but I’m starting to believe that we should take action to raise the nation’s average IQ rather than lower it. I’m quite concerned.

“I used to believe that intelligence was distributed equally throughout the world, but I’m starting to realize that a lot of what we consume on social media is influenced by our surroundings. “I’m starting to see how our system is shaped by values; hook-up culture and yahoo-yahoo culture are problematic.

“As a devout Nigerian who wants Nigeria to develop, I can attest that the level of reasoning in this country is not as high as it once was. He clarified, “I believe this is a role model issue; the local boy who has amassed $30,000 is the person they see around them, and they want to be like him.”

The CEO of Moniepoint maintained that there are better ways to make money than prostitution and online fraud, which are common among younger people.

Mr. Eniolorunda called for the development of human capital in the nation, particularly among the youth, and claimed that the large-scale immigration of talented Nigerians also contributed to the lack of skilled labor in Nigeria by international standards.

On the grand scale of what you can create in a 200 million population, there are many other alternatives to becoming a ‘big yahoo boy’ or ‘hook-up babe spending lavishly in Dubai, and everyone wants to be like her.‬.

“‪All we have to do is develop our human capital and change this mentality with our current youth who don’t see other paths, maybe failure of our government, and they lack the faith they have in them and think in different directions. And lastly, mass immigration of talents in the country is also leading to this,” he said.

Reactions
Reacting to the Moniepoint CEO’s remarks on the shortage of skilled labor by global standards in Nigeria, in an X comment, Bjorn Hillside, @tukay85, shared a similar experience while interviewing a master’s degree holder who struggled with using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, a skill required for the role.

He called on Nigerian job seekers to focus more on learning than acquiring several certifications.

I conducted an interview with a master’s degree holder. She couldn’t format simple Excel cells. I asked her what she could do with a spreadsheet because I was surprised that it wasn’t just me. Although she lacked practical experience, she was familiar with the fundamentals. They must do more. Less certification, more education. “It is a waste of time to pursue a master’s degree at a rookie level,” he stated.

Alatika Baba, @alatikababa1, highlighted the difficulties the Nigerian educational system faces, claiming that many students work with educational stakeholders to get around exam requirements, which he claimed has contributed to the nation’s lack of competent talent of international caliber.

“Nigerian students are bribing their way through university and cheating on WAEC exams by working with teachers and school administrators to bribe invigilators. “So how can we meet the employment criteria for global standards? ” Mr. Baba asked.

In a similar spirit, Joseph Aburu endorsed Mr. Eniolorunda’s assertion in an X comment, pointing out that it is difficult for Nigerian talent to migrate abroad.

“Education gaps, scam culture, and brain drain are real drags in Nigeria; this is actually a valid concern on talent quality,” Mr. Aburu stated.

“Nigerians are thriving at foreign fintech companies like Google and Microsoft. There is untapped potential. It takes more than just whining about the pool to develop local talent. Mr. Aburu stated that both parties must level up.

The CEO’s assertion was contested by another X user, @MichaelCodes, who claimed that Nigerian businesses don’t develop the talent they need, in contrast to other multinational corporations that train their staff to meet international standards.

How does Moniepoint help them develop the talent they require? Tech companies use paid internships to develop talent in all of the nations you mentioned. I know a woman who used Oracle’s internship program to get into the company.

“You expect a talent to work with your company for pennies after going through a lot to learn and meet global standards, but Nigerian tech companies don’t offer paid internships or groom talent to meet their standards.” “You can’t pay global wages, but you want global talent,” he remarked.