Senegalese-American music star Akon has imagined an alternate reality where Lagos, not London or New York, stands as the world’s financial capital — if Nigeria had kept full control of its oil wealth since independence in 1960.
In an AI-generated video shared on Instagram, the Grammy-nominated singer suggested that by retaining 100% of its oil revenues instead of sharing profits with international oil giants like Shell and Exxon, Nigeria could have accumulated trillions of dollars in national wealth.
“What if Nigeria had kept 100% of its oil money since 1960 instead of letting Shell and Exxon take it? We’re talking about two trillion dollars that could have stayed in African hands,” the video stated. “Lagos would be the world’s financial capital today, not London or New York.”
Akon’s vision went beyond economics. He imagined Nigerian universities leading global innovation and Nollywood surpassing Hollywood as the world’s dominant film industry.
In his post, Akon described the scenario as a call for Africans to rethink ownership and reinvestment in their own resources.
