Vice President Kashim Shettima has reacted to comments by Moniepoint Chief Executive Officer Tosin Eniolorunda that Nigeria lacks enough skilled workers capable of meeting global standards.
Speaking at the 2026 graduation ceremony of the American University of Nigeria in Yola, Adamawa State, Shettima said the debate sparked by the fintech executive’s remarks should encourage stronger collaboration between universities and industry leaders.
Eniolorunda had earlier said Moniepoint was struggling to fill about 500 vacancies because many applicants did not meet the company’s expectations.
“Not only could we not find people at the quality and the quantity we needed, the few people that we found were not up to the global standards that we need,” he said at an event in Lagos.
Responding through the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Abdullahi Ribadu, Shettima acknowledged concerns about capacity development but defended Nigerian professionals.
“Some of the pushback that followed was legitimate,” the vice president said.
“Compensation structures, currency pressures and the reality that Nigerian engineers now command global opportunities were part of it.
"The talent is not absent.”
He added, “In many ways, it’s just responding to rational market signals.”
Shettima called for stronger partnerships between universities, fintech companies and emerging industries to create “structured and sustained pipelines” for talent development.
The vice president also urged graduates to help solve Nigeria’s problems instead of seeking only personal survival.
“The graduates that this country desperately needs are those who bring their full capabilities to solve the Nigerian problems,” he said.
Eniolorunda’s comments have generated widespread debate, with some Nigerians blaming weak educational standards and brain drain, while others argued that companies must improve salaries and training opportunities to attract top talent.
