Co-founder and former CEO of Flutterwave, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has revealed why he assisted in developing and presenting the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a digital economy plan.
According to the tech entrepreneur, he did it because he believes that political participation is critical to nation-building.
Aboyeji also stated that he has previously supported the Peoples Democratic Party, the current opposition party.
However, he stated unequivocally that he is not a member of any political party.
Regardless, he went on to say that he would not turn down opportunities to engage politicians on policy issues.
Meanwhile, Aboyeji’s decision to present Tinubu’s technology plan at a meeting with the private sector on Tuesday drew conflicting opinions.
He was lambasted on Twitter, particularly by supporters of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for siding with ‘old order’ politicians.
Aboyeji posted a brief explanation on his LinkedIn page in response to the reactions to his Tuesday outing. He penned:
“It is the political season here in Nigeria! On Tuesday I had the pleasure of speaking about the digital economy plan I and a few others had worked on with members of the Tinubu Shettima campaign for the APC Policy Forum for the Organized Private Sector. On Monday I also had the pleasure of attending a Fintech 1000+ meeting with Peter Obi and other industry leaders in the fintech industry to discuss the Obi Datti plan for Fintech and the digital economy. In the past, I have supported the PDP The Nigerian Alliance to help younger members of the PDP win primary tickets.
“Although I am not a member of any political party, I’m a huge fan of political engagement as I believe this is critical to building our beloved nation and the digital economy which I am so passionate about. We cannot refuse opportunities to engage politicians on policy issues as they define their platforms and then criticize them when they inevitably make mistakes. I am available to provide policy guidance to politicians on the digital economy as time and opportunity permit me.”
