Senegalese-American singer Akon has said Nigerians are arguably the “smartest people” in the world.

The ‘Oh Africa’ crooner made the assertion while featuring on the Drink Champs podcast co-hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.

He claimed that more billionaires are being made in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world.

Akon, however, admitted that there are a few “bad apples” tarnishing the image of the country.

He said, “This could be debatable, but Nigerians are the smartest people on the planet. I promise you, there is nobody smarter than a Nigerian. Of course, there were a few bad apples that came out. They [the bad apples] are extremely smart. But they put their intelligence in the wrong place.

“If they were to gear that towards something more positive or productive... Because of the ones that did, there are more billionaires being made in Nigeria than anywhere in the world.”