Singer Seun Kuti has criticised Nigeria’s failure to create opportunities for talented young people in science, engineering, and other intellectual fields, arguing that many are left with little hope of success unless they turn to illegal means to survive.
Speaking on the state of the country, Seun Kuti lamented what he described as the absence of meaningful structures to support gifted Nigerians whose talents lie outside entertainment or service-based professions.
According to him, a young Nigerian can be highly skilled in areas such as robotics, nuclear physics, rocket engineering, education, philosophy, or history, yet find no programme, institution, or support system to help develop those abilities.
“There’s no hope for talented scientists and engineers in Nigeria, except they resort to Yahoo Yahoo,” he said.
Kuti argued that the system appears to place more value on service-based and entertainment-related skills while neglecting innovation, research, and intellectual development.
He questioned where young people with talents in highly technical or academic fields are expected to turn, noting that society often focuses more on asking what immediate service a person can offer, whether through tailoring, shoemaking, baking, cooking, singing, dancing, acting, filming, or content creation.
According to the singer, the lack of investment in science, technology, research, and education has left many brilliant young Nigerians stranded, with limited pathways to grow in careers that align with their abilities.
He maintained that until the country builds proper programmes and support systems to nurture a wider range of talents, many gifted youths will continue to struggle for relevance and survival.