Classmates mocked me for begging for school fees on the street – female graduate
Mass Communication graduate and beautician, Mary Oluwakemi, whose video of begging for financial support on the street for her final year school fees went viral, shares with AJIBADE OMAPE the reason for her action
Can you share your early years and background with us?
I am Mary Oluwakemi. I’m 30 years old and I hail from Oluyole in Oyo State. I am my parents’ first daughter and first child. I have two younger siblings and three younger stepsiblings. I grew up in the Agege area of Lagos during my early years, where I completed both my primary and secondary education. My grandparents were more like my foster parents, who took care of me after my father left my mum.
How did you further your education after leaving secondary school?
For my university, I first attended a polytechnic in Abeokuta where I earned my national diploma. When I could not further my education anymore, I went to get a waitress job, which I did for five years around 2016.
I worked as a waitress before I got university admission in 2017, and it was when I was working as a waitress that I met a pastor of the Covenant Light Church, who encouraged me to go back to school.
The family paid for my university education from my 100 level till my second year before they moved out of the country. The family registered me at the University of Lagos and my programme was the Institute of Continued Education. During the day, I worked as a nail tech for someone, while I attended lectures from 5pm to 8pm.
I remember my course of study was initially for five years but I ended up spending close to eight years, and I did not fail any course. There was COVID-19, and I also witnessed two different strikes in school; one of the strikes lasted for about eight months in 2022.
How does it feel to finally complete a degree programme after going through some financial challenges?
Well, it feels great; it makes me realise that apart from education, if I set my mind to do something and I’m going about it legitimately, I think I can achieve it, even if shame and discouragement will come with it. People will not support you when you are looking for help, because I remember that nobody reposted my videos when I was looking for help. But I feel fulfilled personally that I did not just ask for help, I was able to come out and I was able to complete my degree programme.
Can you share more about the situation that led to publicly begging for money?
I started entering people’s DMs and at that time, there was cash scarcity or something like that. I began entering people’s DMs and I was not getting any response. What pushed me to go to the streets at that time was a particular incident. There was a guy who said he wouldn’t give me the money unless I came to his house, even though he had the funds to help.
He said outright that he would have to sleep with me before giving me the money. I felt bad and started to wonder how many men I would have to sleep with to get the money I needed. It was not something my conscience would allow.
Although the money was not that much, I found myself in a situation where I was stranded. I thought about it and started getting worried because the payment portal for the fees was about to be closed. While I couldn’t beg money from my course mates because we were all looking for money, I just said in my group chat that I would start a hashtag.
What did you do next?
I began with hashtags, justice for ICE students because the school fee was now up to N250,000, but I didn’t get any response. So, I just told myself, ‘What if I went outside to look for money?’ I also saw one lady who carried a placard to beg and people gave her money. So, I summoned courage and hit the streets.
How did you manage the stigma that came with asking publicly for financial assistance?
I only wanted to be able to pay my school fees. So, what happened was that I started from my school gate, but the police were still around. So, I said I was going to move to Gbagada the next day. When I went to Gbagada, one of my friends felt ashamed and was only able to help me hold the phone to record the video.
She said it was a shameful thing to do and that she could not join me. To my surprise, she immediately held the phone for about 15 minutes, and some cars started parking and giving me cash. Some market women also started giving me money. I felt encouraged by the gesture I got from people.
When I checked the money I realised, it was not up to what I wanted, I then decided I would go to Lekki tollgate where the #EndSARS protest took place. When I got there, I told the police officers who were guiding the place what I wanted to do. One of the officers said he was not going to discourage me but I should go to Lekki Phase One, because the toll gate was a highway, and that begging was not allowed.
I decided to go to Lekki Phase One, where I met an influencer who was making the video. So, the young man made a live video and attached my account number to it, and people started donating to me on his live video. I had to stop impromptu because one of the residents in Lekki said I needed to stop and leave their gate.
After all, I was begging for N250,000 in front of the Lekki Phase One gate, and that was very embarrassing, but later on, I think the man even collected my number from the influencer and asked his personal assistant to give me some money. So, in a nutshell, I was able to get more than my school fees.
How did you spend the money you were given?
I got a small space inside UNILAG, where I run my small nail business. I graduated last year but the convocation was moved to this year. I just needed to thank those people who gave me funds, but none of the bloggers reposted. I remember tagging two social media influencers because I always saw these things happen online and I hoped they would respond, but I didn’t get a response or reposts from them.
However, since I got to pay the school fees, I was able to open a small studio and continue working. There wasn’t any reason to go back to the streets because I was not catching fun with it. I come from a family that is not rich and my parents are separated.
What was the response from the public after you were seen in videos seeking financial support at different locations?
It was not easy; a lot of people bashed me. Some asked if I was that poor, others asked why I was holding a placard because of N250,000. At that time, I knew the N250,000 was not going to fall from heaven, and I said to myself that I had not come this far only to drop out of school in my final year.
So, I just tried it out and said to myself that if it worked out, all would be fine as long as the N250,000 would be available for my school fees. That was all I had in my mind.
Some of my course mates laughed at me and questioned my decision to beg on the street for financial support. Many people did not believe me. They asked me to open my school portal to be sure I was not a scam. I had to move around with an ID.
Did any particular individual or organisation step forward to make a significant impact in helping you achieve your goal?
Yes, there was this company called Future-tech that gave me N300,000 and there was also an anonymous person who gave me another N300,000. There is a guy who works for Tribune, he saw me at Gbagada when I started seeking financial support, took my picture, and posted it on Tribune. It was from them that the company reached out to me.
How did your family react to the videos of you on the street seeking financial support?
I don’t think they felt bad. My parents are separated. So, I don’t think any of them reached out to me to say anything. I’m sure they have seen the videos, but no one reached out to me, except my younger sisters who showed support and were proud of me. Two of my uncles sent me money when they saw the video online. One of my cousins also sent me some cash.
Throughout this experience, what did you learn about perseverance and community support?
I see Nigerians as very emotional people. I may not be able to mention all the pepper sellers, but those were the real people who stood up for me. When they saw me, they began taking me to the shops of their fellow market women, who all contributed to my cause.
They reassured and encouraged me to stay focused on my education, and told me not to worry. Also, if one has a good cause, first, do not lie to people, be intentional about what you want, and do not take people’s kindness for granted.
What were the challenges you faced while you were in school?
I found it challenging when people commended me for looking too good to be begging on the streets. Someone asked me to wear tattered clothes if I wanted people to believe me. Many people encouraged me to use my body to get the money I wanted. Others criticised and doubted that I needed money because of how I looked.
Were there moments when you felt like giving up on your studies because of the lack of money?
On the first day, I started seeking financial support from the school premises, but I got no attention. When I got home, I told my sister I didn’t think I could go on, but my sister encouraged and asked me to give it one more try. That was when I went to Gbagada and started getting backlash from people who felt I looked too good to be on the street.
Now that you have your degree in Mass Communication, what are your plans for the future?
Currently, I’m pursuing a career in my field. I’m a professional beautician, and I train people. As a Nigerian, while in 100 level, you’re supposed to own a skill that you can fall back on. That is what I’m currently focusing on. In the future, if I have the chance to work in the media, I’ll do more production, or a motivational speaker to let people understand that the way you see life is not how it is. If I didn’t make the move I made, I would have dropped out or extended my stay in school because there was no way to get the money.
Do you have any advice for other students facing similar financial difficulties in completing their education?
When you do things like what I did, people will talk. It’s normal, but you have to fight for what you want. Not everybody would go to the streets to seek financial support, but if you have one or two people you can talk to, share it with them and let them be people who won’t ask you to come to their house for something else.
They should also own a skill that can give them returns to avoid a situation like this. There should be no excuse for not being able to work because of school. I worked and schooled at the same time.
