SEYI AWOLOWO URGES NIGERIA TO MOVE BEYOND ‘AKARA, KULIKULI’ MINDSET
Read Time:1 Minute, 52 Second
By: Balogun Ibrahim
Former Big Brother Naija housemate Seyi Awolowo has called for a shift in Nigeria’s educational and economic priorities, arguing that the country should move beyond what he described as the “Akara and Kulikuli” mindset and embrace innovation and artificial intelligence.
Speaking on Vanguard’s Nigeria Meter Podcast, Awolowo said the global race in artificial intelligence is accelerating, with countries like China and the United States leading breakthroughs, while Nigeria has yet to carve out a meaningful position in the technology space.
According to him, businesses such as selling akara and kulikuli, traditionally associated with petty trading, should no longer represent the height of many Nigerians’ aspirations if the country’s education system had evolved as expected.
“Kulikuli and akara, while I was growing up, were businesses for petty traders. There should have been an upgrade,” he said.
Awolowo questioned why many Nigerians remain focused on basic survival at a time when other nations are investing heavily in emerging technologies.
“We are entering the AI race right now, where we are seeing China and America going back and forth with innovation. Where is our own? Why are we thinking of akara and kulikuli?” he asked.
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He argued that Nigeria’s education system should empower citizens to pursue opportunities in knowledge-driven industries rather than limiting their ambitions to subsistence-level livelihoods.
“Why have we not crossed an educational threshold where kulikuli and akara are still in the frame? Why does it seem that some people are being kept in a box where they cannot grow further than that because of what they think or see?” he said.
Awolowo also blamed the country’s political culture for reinforcing what he described as a cycle of dependency, saying politicians often rely on food and material incentives to win votes instead of promoting policies that encourage education, innovation and sustainable economic development.
According to him, “stomach infrastructure” has become a defining feature of political campaigns in Nigeria.
“When it is election season, they think of how to give people this or that because they are the ones who will vote. It seems that stomach infrastructure is the major means of campaign,” he said.
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