Flutterwave co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has criticised Nigeria’s younger generation, describing it as a generation more focused on social media influence and public visibility than on building enduring institutions.
Speaking during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast, excerpts of which circulated widely on social media on Tuesday, Aboyeji argued that many young Nigerians have embraced performance over substance, prioritising appearances instead of creating lasting value.
“The generation of people who built Nigeria has passed away. What you have now are influencers. We’re a generation of influencers,” he said.
According to the technology entrepreneur, the pursuit of online relevance has replaced the patience, discipline and long-term commitment required to build successful businesses and institutions.
“So people are trained to perform, not to build. And you see it seeping into companies, where people want to perform entrepreneurship rather than actually build companies,” he said.
Aboyeji maintained that many members of his generation fail to appreciate that meaningful achievements require time, resilience and sustained effort.
“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 added.
He urged young Nigerians to abandon what he described as performative success and concentrate on creating institutions capable of outliving their founders.
Aboyeji revealed that he had stepped away from X, formerly Twitter, because he considered spending time on the platform unproductive, saying he preferred to focus on building tangible value.
While acknowledging the importance of public discourse, he questioned whether his generation had produced enough leaders prepared for national leadership.
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“Today, is there anybody under the age of 50 who would be comfortable being your president?” he asked.
Drawing comparisons with older political figures, Aboyeji cited President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in pro-democracy activism through the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and referenced Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s entrepreneurial accomplishments, arguing that both had built significant institutions at relatively young ages.
He contrasted those examples with what he described as a culture of constant criticism among younger Nigerians, saying many had become more invested in commenting on national issues than creating businesses or institutions with lasting impact.
Questioning the economic achievements of his peers, he asked how many Nigerians under the age of 50 own major financial institutions or comparable enterprises, lamenting that many are pursuing online popularity instead of building valuable assets.
“We are different versions of Davido and Wizkid… we are just performing artists, all of us,” he said.
Calling for a shift in priorities, Aboyeji urged his generation to leave behind the pursuit of digital validation and focus on building wealth, businesses and institutions that could be passed on to future generations.
Reflecting on his own career, he admitted that he had come to realise that seeking attention online was ultimately unproductive.
Concluding his remarks, the entrepreneur delivered a blunt assessment of his generation’s legacy, saying it was time to acknowledge its shortcomings and move beyond what he described as an era of “playtime” toward meaningful nation-building.