Expert challenges Moniepoint boss on Nigeria’s talent gap

A leading Nigerian expert has disagreed with Tosin Eniolorunda, the CEO of Moniepoint, over the causes of the country’s serious talent shortage, saying companies should train young people instead of blaming them.

Segun Olugbile, CEO of Data Analytics Privacy Technology Ltd, said the problem is not that Nigerian youths are unqualified, arguing that the real issue is the lack of systems to turn young people’s potential into needed skills.

Olugbile said Eniolorunda was right to highlight the difficulty of filling over 500 roles in his organisation. However, he added that blaming youths alone gives a narrow view of a bigger problem.

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He pointed to Tosin Eniolorunda’s own story as proof, stating, Eniolorunda trained as a Mechanical Engineer but grew into a fintech expert after Interswitch invested in his development.

The company did not wait for ready-made talent, it created one, Olugbile affirmed.

He also cited the data protection sector as another example, stating, after Nigeria introduced data protection laws in 2019, there were few trained professionals. Instead of complaining, local firms like DAPT recruited graduates and trained them through programmes and internships. Today, Nigeria has more skilled data privacy experts. “Young people respond to opportunities,” Olugbile asserted.

When good jobs are hard to get and require experience that fresh graduates do not have, some turn to other activities. The solution, he said, lies in companies creating structured training programmes, paid academies, and apprenticeships.

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He warned that depending too much on expatriate workers is risky, as it leads to money leaving the country as remittances and slows down the growth of local skills.

Olugbile did not ignore problems in Nigeria’s education system. He affirmed that universities need to improve, but stressed that in fast-changing fields like technology, the private sector must also play a big role in building talent.

He urged Nigerian companies to stop searching endlessly for fully ready talent and start investing in young Nigerians. Those who do this early, he said, will solve their hiring problems and help shape the future of the nation’s digital economy.