Nigerians have raised N1.8m for a protester whose son dreams of becoming a programmer.
Ogwu Chijioke was one of the hundreds of protesters who trooped to the streets in Lagos State on Thursday to join the nationwide #EndBadGovernance demonstrations over the country’s harsh economic conditions.
The protester, in an interview at the Lekki Toll Gate area of Lagos, narrated his struggles in making his son’s dreams of becoming a programmer a reality.
“I’m riding from Mile 2, Festac. My son at 13 is a programmer but I can’t even buy data for him to learn more. I can’t even pay for the tuition fees, millions of naira. At 13, he can programme games,” he told Channels Television, clutching to his bicycle.
“My name is Ogwu Benjamin Chijioke. I would rather die on the streets than die at home. I can’t sit down and watch the future of my son go to waste. I know I may not have a future again in Nigeria but my son’s future will not be wasted.”
Moments later, his video went viral.
“You can feel the passion in his soul,” social media influencer Morris Monye captioned the video shared on his X handle. “He’s lost hope that life will be good for him but has not lost hope for his son. This is why he is protesting.”
“Hello, guys. I’ve gotten his details,” Morris wrote hours later. “N1.8m is needed to make his dreams come true.”
Barely 24 hours after the move, the money was crowdfunded.
“N1.8m raised. Money complete. This crowdfunding is now over,” he said. “Thank you all for your benevolence.”
