It’s not every day that academic excellence trends in the Nigerian social media circle. Yet, twice in as many weeks, we have seen it happen for very different reasons.
TikTok creator and livestreamer Peller left a sour taste in the mouths of many Nigerians as he went live to host a job interview, offering ₦500,000 for a photography role and demanding that only Master’s degree holders apply. To make content, he laughed, interrupted, and condescended to applicants turning their efforts into entertainment for likes and comments. It was deeply insulting content, especially considering that we are in a country where graduates are already struggling to find jobs.
The other scenario, however, was completely different and it started with a tweet from Adekunle Gold tweeted: “If you graduated with First Class, post your transcripts.”
Nigerians from all corners of the country shared screenshots of their results: First Class in Physics, First Class in Law, Distinction in Engineering. People who had worked hard, studied late into the night, and made sacrifices to come out on top finally had a moment to be seen. It was beautiful and encouraging. Even those who didn’t graduate with top honours couldn’t help but feel inspired.
Of course, some people said the tweet was just a rollout strategy for his new song. And to be fair, it was. “Coco Money” — the song he released two days after the tweet — is a track about money, luxury, and enjoyment.
But even if it was part of a rollout plan, it doesn’t take away the fact that he chose to start the conversation by celebrating brilliance. He could’ve given out money or given out a luxury giveaway to create buzz. But he didn’t. He decided to honour smart Nigerians who are rarely celebrated. And maybe that’s why the tweet struck such a chord and started a deeper conversation about how talent struggles to survive in a place that offers it no room to grow.
Because what the tweet really revealed is the hidden heartbreak of Nigerian excellence.
Immediately the tweet dropped, we saw many people who graduated with top grades, but who are now sewing or running small businesses or doing different things from what they studied, just to survive.
Someone tweeted: “I don’t see a world where someone who graduated with a 4.9 CGPA in Physics will willingly choose to make clothes instead of building for the universe. The things Nigeria has taken from us is too much. The dreams that place has killed. It’s unfortunate.”
It is a bitter truth. People don’t go to school, fight for top grades, and finish with First Class just to hustle endlessly or beg for opportunities. Nigeria has turned excellence into a burden. The best brains are either underpaid, unemployed, or working in jobs far beneath their potential. Others have left the country, while some are still here, trying to keep the dream alive. But it gets harder every day.
So, while Peller turned education into a joke for clout, Adekunle Gold chose to celebrate it, even within the framework of a song release. And in that small gesture, Adekunle Gold reminded people that their brilliance still matters. And just like he followed it up with another tweet:“When we start celebrating brilliance the way we celebrate chaos, this country will change.”
And he’s right. We’ve normalised mediocrity.. We hype up loudness and ignore intelligence. And when smart people speak, we tell them “school na scam”.
But school is not the scam. The scam is the country that refuses to reward those who go through it with honesty and hard work. To build a nation that works, we must return to a place where education is not mocked and stop pushing brilliance to the sidelines.
In the end, we saw two examples, back to back. Peller showed us how bad it can get. Adekunle Gold showed us how beautiful it can be when we do better. Let’s all choose better.
