Nigerians raise ₦1.8m for struggling protester to support son’s programming dreams

Nigerians have raised over ₦1.8m for Ogwu Chijioke, one of the protesters who joined the demonstrations in Lagos State on Thursday as part of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests over the country’s harsh economic conditions.

The protester, in an interview at the Lekki Toll Gate area of Lagos, revealed 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 program games,” he told Channels Television, clutching 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.”

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Moments after his video went viral, his bank account details was also shared on X, with Nigerians who are also protesting the hardships across the country crowdfunding to make the man’s dreams for his son come true.

“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 is complete. This crowdfunding is now over. Thank you all for your benevolence.”