Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO of Moniepoint, has raised concerns over the quality of talent in Nigeria, revealing that the company has struggled to fill over 500 job vacancies despite limiting recruitment to Nigerians.
According to him, the few candidates identified did not meet the global standards required, as the company competes on an international level.
Eniolorunda attributed the challenge to several factors, including the country’s education system, social media influence, and the growing “yahoo yahoo” and hook-up culture, which he believes are affecting values and critical thinking.
He also noted that the Japa syndrome among Nigerian youths is also affecting the standard of graduates in Nigeria.
He also expressed concern that environmental factors are shaping intelligence and reasoning levels, adding that the kind of role models many young people are exposed to may be influencing their aspirations.
The fintech executive emphasized that Nigeria has the potential to produce world-class talent but stressed the need to invest in human capital development to compete globally.
In his words, “I used to feel Nigerians are really bright. We’ve had over 500 vacancies since 2024, and we are still struggling to find Nigerians to fill those roles. They don’t meet global standards of quality we need. I blame social media, Yahoo and hook-up culture, I also blame our education system and environment. We need to do something to prevent the IQ of this country from going lower.”
Social media reactions pour in, see below;
abillsable commented, “You should launch an academy and train your requirement.”
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khalifaktee added, “You all want global standard with Nigeria salary standards…
clap for yourself.”
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sudeen_001 remarked, “Respectfully, I don’t fully agree with this take. It feels a bit too convenient to say Nigerians can’t meet global standards when Nigerians are already excelling in top global firms across tech, finance, and beyond. That tells me the issue isn’t a lack of talent, but whether the hiring standards, evaluation methods, compensation, and talent pipelines here are actually set up to identify and support the best people. If the same Nigerians can thrive abroad, then capacity clearly isn’t the problem, the system might be. Pay better money.”
code_pg reacted, “Then allow your company adopt the global standard by training your workers! Send them abroad to acquire skills and they will in turn pass the skills down to the organization. 
.”
princessbukolahq shared, “This is so sad to listen to cos the talent gap is real but the IQ framing isn’t. The Intelligence is definitely there but the opportunity, exposure and structured development are not. When companies say “we can’t find global-standard talent,” what they often mean is “we can’t find people who already have global-standard experience” and that’s a chicken-and-egg problem the market has to solve, not a deficiency in the people. From my experience running a global project management training org, Nigerians are very competent and can compete on global PM standards. The hunger is there, the capacity is there. What’s missing is companies willing to invest in the readiness layer instead of only hiring the finished article.
Definitely worth a conversation and systems put in place to challenge this speaker’s notion."
legacywealth1 stressed, “It’s no joke. We have been looking for a qualified business manager for over a month. A female manager for @kasoowafoodhub and not been easy. It seems everyone just want to do content now. These folks are not being told the truth that content creation while it’s good, also takes a lot to make it big.”
abdul_abdul_51 noted, “Please where did Chevron, Mobil, Shell and all other multinationals get their employees from oga???”
black_hemisphere stressed, “Biggest mistake you’ll ever make is expecting Nigerians to handle the truth. People suggest setting up an academy to train others, but let’s face it, education is more accessible than ever. You’ve got YouTube, Udemy, and more. If you can spend hours on TikTok and Snapchat, why not dedicate that time to learning? The issue isn’t accessibility, it’s interest. Look at our role models - content creators, politicians, musicians. I’ve tried teaching tech, but most people just aren’t interested. Can’t force knowledge on those who don’t want it.”
In conclusion, Tosin Eniolorunda’s remarks have ignited a necessary conversation about the gap between available talent and industry expectations in Nigeria. While he attributes the challenge to declining standards and societal influences, many reactions suggest the issue may be more complex—ranging from gaps in education and training to concerns about compensation, exposure, and hiring practices.
Ultimately, the debate underscores a shared reality: Nigeria has undeniable potential, but bridging the divide between raw talent and global competitiveness will require deliberate investment in education, skills development, and opportunities from both institutions and employers.