Senegalese-American singer, songwriter and record producer, Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, known by the mononym Akon, has said Nigerians are arguably the “smartest people” in the world.
He made the assertion recently while featuring on the Drink Champs podcast co-hosted by N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, where he also said more billionaires are emerging in Nigeria than in any other part of the world.
The ‘I Wanna Love You’ crooner, however, admitted that there are a few “bad apples” tarnishing the image of the country.
He went on to say if these bad elements decide to apply their intellect in the right direction, the sky will be their limit.
Speaking during the chat Akon said: “This could be debatable, but the Nigerians are the smartest people on the planet. I promise you, there is nobody more smarter than a Nigerian. Of course, there are a few bad apples that came out. They [the bad apples] are extremely smart. But they put their intelligence all in wrong place.
“If they were to gear that towards something more positive or productive… Because the ones that did, there’s more billionaires being made in Nigeria than anywhere in the world.”
