In this block, I sit down with Abubakar in Lugano during the Plan ₿ Summer School.

We start with football Roma, Argentina, and a special FC Lugano jersey with “Satoshi” and the number 21 on the back, but quickly move into Bitcoin, philosophy, development, grants, and what it really means to build in this space.

Abubakar is a Bitcoin Core contributor, board member at BitTrust, and someone deeply involved in supporting Bitcoin developers and companies. In this conversation, we talk about how Bitcoin Core contributions actually work, from day-to-day pull request reviews to focusing on specific areas of the codebase.

We also discuss what it means to wear many hats in Bitcoin: developer, CEO, board member, investor, and teacher. Abubakar shares how discipline, time management, structure, and priorities are essential when you are contributing to different parts of the ecosystem at the same time.

A big part of the conversation is about funding Bitcoin developers.

Through BitTrust, Abubakar helps support people and projects that are already showing real proof of work. The goal is not to dictate what people should build, but to enable contributors who already have the grit, hunger, and commitment to work on Bitcoin. We talk about grants, open applications, starter funding, long-term contributions, and why supporting developers is one of the most important things we can do for the future of Bitcoin.

Finally, we compare the Bitcoin ecosystems of Nigeria and Lugano. Abubakar reflects on what Nigerians can learn from Lugano, slowing down, taking life at a steadier pace, and what Lugano can learn from Nigeria: hunger, hustle, and the drive to keep building.

We cover:

football, jerseys, and the number 21

Bitcoin Core contributions

PR reviews and open-source work

wearing many hats in Bitcoin

discipline, structure, and time management

BitTrust and developer grants

proof of work as a selection principle

funding Bitcoin contributors

Bitcoin companies and capital allocation

building for real users

Nigeria and Lugano as different Bitcoin ecosystems

hustle, focus, and staying grounded

Bitcoin is built by people who show proof of work before anyone gives them permission.

This conversation is about supporting those people, funding real builders, and creating the conditions for Bitcoin to keep growing.