Aiobo Godwin, or Crypto_Godwin (CG), isn’t your typical tech success story. At 17, he became a millionaire by building a cryptocurrency exchange. At 20, he survived two poisoning attempts. Today, as Bitget Wallet’s Regional Growth Manager for Africa, he’s on a mission to empower the next generation of blockchain innovators. No buzzwords, no corporate fluff—just raw ambition, relentless hustle, and a mom who believed in “Internet money.”
In this in-depth conversation, Aibo Godwin, better known as Crypto Godwin (CG), takes us on his journey from fixing phones in Abuja to becoming a rising sensation amongst blockchain enthusiasts and now Bitget Wallet’s Regional Growth Manager for Africa.
CG’s story isn’t about Lambos or empty hype. It’s about rewriting the rules for a generation told they’d “never amount to anything.” From surviving life-threatening challenges to funding teens’ crypto dreams, he’s proof that Africa’s blockchain revolution will be built offline—in communities, not boardrooms.
Tell us about yourself.
I am Aibo Godwin. I am Tiv, from Benue State. I attended the Airforce institute of Technology, Kaduna, where I studied physics with electronics, although the course I wanted was cyber security.
You describe yourself as “ultra-independent.” Why?
I grew up middle-class, but I never wanted to ask for help. Even at 100 level [university], I’d wait for my mom’s ₦5k allowance. It never lasted. I hated borrowing—still do. I realised early on that nobody owes me anything, no freebies were coming from anywhere, and I had work to get whatever I wanted, so I had to be extra hardworking. This probably led to my being ultra independent, as I like to call it.
How did you get into tech?
A relation forgot to tell me I got into the Air Force Institute of Technology! And I couldn’t register on time, so I spent a year fixing phones in Abuja. I also tried Blogging, surveys… nothing worked. In retrospect, I realise now that you don’t just find what works out at first trial.
How did you get into crypto?
When I finally started school, they told me my physics degree would let me “work anywhere.” I knew that was a lie. I was restless and wanted more out of life. It was at this time that I came across cryptocurrency, but I had no money to invest. I went home during the school break and told my mom I wanted to drop out of school. She asked what I wanted to do instead, and I said crypto. She didn’t know what it was, and I told her it was internet money. So she made me a bargain: she would give me some money to invest in my idea if I stayed in school and graduated, which I agreed to. My mom gave me ₦7k to invest in Ethereum. I built YoungExchange.com at 17.
challenges
While on a rollercoaster of success, things happened that blindsided CG in a way he never expected.
What have your major challenges been?
surviving poisoning twice, the First time, someone close to me did it. I used to borrow money from him, then stopped. He got jealous. The second time was at a blockchain event—someone spiked my drink. My friend brought an antidote.
Have you taken any risks on your career path?
Oh, definitely. I once quit 15 projects in one day, I fasted and told God, “Answer me, or I’ll visit you in person.” He answered. Got the Bitget role. I was an ambassador for Bitget Wallet for eight months, and I wasn’t satisfied. I was working on other projects at the time, before I started working full-time for Bitget Wallet only. I was working on 12 to 15 projects, and they were all paying me. So I travelled to Benin in February.
I discussed with some top people in crypto. Face-to-face, closed-door meetings. And the word that kept ringing in my mind was when they all told me, in the grand scheme of things, you don’t exist. I was hurt, but it jolted me back to reality, cos what they said was true. So I looked at the whole thing. All these projects. I had been going up and down for them. I was doing a lot, but I didn’t have any say. So I took a risk, decided I was going to quit everything to go for something that would give me real power to make things happen, and the risk paid off. I landed the role of Africa regional growth manager for Bitget.
What is Bitget Wallet’s strategy for blockchain adoption in the Southeast and the South-South region?
As the regional manager for Bitget wallet, my strategy is grassroots education and empowerment. My view is that “Africa’s Youth Don’t Need Slideshows and that`s my approach to blockchain education. No “LFG” tweets. I go offline, boots on the ground, attend town halls and trading contests, as it allows me to interact with people in real life and develop unique ways to educate them on how blockchain can be a game-changer for them. I was recently at BET25 held in Asaba, and then attended the Konoha Financial Conference in Imo State. We’re teaching teens to trade, not beg. Africa’s youth need tools, not theories. Beyond talk, I also ensure that we empower people with the tools and resources they need, e.g we gave out $10k in aid last month, I also launched CG Trading Academy to train 2,000+ for free.
Your mom’s a recurring theme. What’s her role?
She’s my anchor. When I wanted to drop out, she said, “Stay in school, but here’s ₦7k for crypto.” and i will always be grateful for that as it set me on this path and i realise most young people my age didn’t have that level of support at that age which is why I do not take it for granted.
What are your legacy goals?
I hope to launch my crypto exchange and advocate for Africa’s blockchain future, I believe Africa’s teens need tools, not theories: “Give them a laptop, not a lecture.” I am determined to build something, I’d rather die building than live wondering. if I perish, I perish. But I’ll die building something.
Any last words for young Africans?
Stop waiting for permission. Grab your phone, learn to trade, and build. Africa’s blockchain revolution won’t happen on Twitter—it’ll happen here, in our streets.
