It might not be a well-known name outside of Africa, but Emmanuel Musa is one of the most recognized Nigerian content writers. As a Management Information Systems graduate, technology it’s one of his favorite topics, but lately he has made his entry in the crypto field.
The “story first, specs second” mindset
Emmanuel doesn’t start with block sizes or consensus models. He starts with narratives. “People rarely change behavior because of raw data; they only move when a story reframes what the data means”, he argues. According to Musa, if the narrative paints Bitcoin as a casino, users would look like gamblers; if the narrative frames Bitcoin as neutral money rails, they behave like builders and payers. The data might be the same, but it’s a completely different story.
He stresses that narratives are not just marketing gloss. They’re operating systems for human decisions. In his view, the right narrative creates a default action, but without needing a lecture.
Systems thinking in plain clothes
Thanks to his MIS background, Musa can map the crypto world like an analyst would map an organization. “Users, miners, apps, compliance teams, regulators… each is a subsystem with incentives and frictions,” he says. “A good narrative acts like a shared protocol between these messy human subsystems: it simplifies coordination,” he adds.
He notes that many “failed” Bitcoin pilots didn’t fail because the tech didn’t work; they failed because the narrative onboarding was wrong. “If you tell people they are going to get rich quickly with a coin, don’t be surprised when they measure success in 48-hour price swings instead of a five-year plan”, he notes.
Nigeria as a classroom, not a case study
Musa speaks about Nigeria not as a headline, but as home. Different realities produce different Bitcoin jobs to be done. The narrative that is working in Lagos might not work in a rural town.
He emphasizes that a “global” Bitcoin story can be misleading if it ignores local bottlenecks. “If network fees spike, the story should pivot to layers that make payment viable; if regulation tightens, the story should guide users toward safer patterns. In other words: narratives must be adaptive, not doctrinal”, he explains.
Frames that change behavior
During our interview, he insisted that there are a few frames that change the behavior and the relationship between citizens and cryptos. “It’s time to ditch the false binary of savings or payments. For people with irregular income, the savings narrative builds a long-term habit. Meanwhile, for merchants, the payments narrative surfaces immediate utility. However, combining both creates healthier behavior around cryptos.
It’s the same with the idea of Bitcoin as an exit. He explains he prefers to use the word option, as it feels “empowering.” “Bitcoin it’s more of a backup rail you can use if banks are slow or fees are too high. With that change of perspective, people are interested, instead of defensive”, he comments.
Myths to retire that are slowing real adoption
Emmanuel lists a few stories he thinks should fade, as they are being a roadblock to the adoption of cryptos. The first he lists is “Bitcoin fixes everything”. “It’s intellectually lazy. It just blocks collaboration with existing rails and alienates pragmatic partners”, he thinks.
But it’s not the only one. For him, price matters, but it’s not the only truth some so-called experts are parroting. The effect of that sentence is that builders are not caring about UX, and the users are doing the same with security, which brings huge risks to the table.
And his favorite: if you don’t understand cryptography, you shouldn’t use it. “By that logic, only a few should be able to drive a car, and let’s not talk about computers and smartphones…,” he laughs.
A language playbook for real people
Musa’s work is also, in some way, making people understand better cryptos and how they work. So, he’s been creating his own glossary for those starters in the field. “It’s the only way they can learn and not be overwhelmed by all the new information. Whenever they understand the basics, they can try to learn the lingo,” he explains. The most used synonyms, quoting him, are:
- Money rail instead of “protocol”
- Wallet as “your money app”
- Backup as “a spare key you store safely”
- Try with coffee-money instead of “allocate capital”
These swaps aren’t dumbing it down; they’re clearing the runway. He says the quickest way to lose a newcomer is to make them feel like they’re trespassing in someone else’s jargon.
This is the work of someone who is trying to help and make people more comfortable with cryptos. That’s why he has become one of the voices to listen to in the African Bitcoin field.
