“I used to feel Nigerians are really bright…We have about 500 open roles since 2024, and we’re struggling to fill these roles. The few people we found were not up to the global standard we needed.” says Tosin Eniolorunda. Moniepoint CEO.
Is this ragebait?
…because if it is, it worked. What sounded like a simple hiring complaint quickly turned into something much bigger.
On one side of the conversation are people who said the statement reflects a real problem in Nigeria.
They pointed to gaps in practical skills, limited industry-ready training, and the pressure companies face when trying to scale fast in a global market. To them, the message is uncomfortable but familiar. Nigerian tech is growing, but not evenly, and not always at the pace companies need.
On the other side is a more emotional reaction. Many users interpreted the comment as dismissive and highly disrespectful to Nigerian Talents.
The argument here is that: if Nigerian engineers are good enough to work at top global companies abroad and remotely, then the issue is not talent availability; it is either pay, hiring filters, or unrealistic expectations.
At some point, the conversation stopped being about Moniepoint entirely, it became about a deeper anxiety that sits under Nigeria’s tech space.
However, the irony is that two truths can co-exist.
Yes, there are skill gaps in some parts of the system. Not everyone in tech has the depth, speed, or exposure that fast-scaling companies expect. But at the same time, there is clearly a strong pipeline of Nigerian talents, proven by how many people are building and working in global tech companies across the world. It may just be uneven, overworked, and sometimes undervalued.
This is where the Moniepoint moment stops being only about hiring, but of a bigger Nigerian tech question nobody has fully answered yet:
Are we short on talent, or are we just not agreeing on what talent should cost?
