UNILAG Graduate Shares Emotional Journey Behind her Viral Street Plea For School Fees

• A graduate of the University of Lagos, who recently went viral online after she begged for help to pay her fees, has opened up
• The young lady spoke about what she faced after her video went viral and the unexpected things her classmates told her
• She also explained the unexpected thing that happened to her on the day of her graduation from the University of Lagos (UNILAG)

Oluwakemisola Emmanuel, a graduate of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, has shared the touching story behind her viral plea for school fees years after she went to the streets to beg for support.

Oluwakemisola had in 2023 gone to the streets of Lagos to beg for help to pay her tuition fees at the university.

UNILAG graduate shares touching story

She carried a placard with words like "help me" on it, hoping to get support.

Her story caught the attention of the public and she finally received help in donations and other ways, which allowed her to set up a business for herself, according to what she told Legit.ng in an exclusive chat.

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The 31-year-old beautician shared what made her go to the streets. In the chat, she explained that she used to work in a restaurant before becoming a beautician.

While working as a waitress, she met a man of God who asked about her education. She told him her story, and he invited her to visit his church often.

He encouraged her to continue her education and asked her to get forms for the course she wanted to study.

She said:

"My name is Emmanuel Oluwakemisola. I have always worked while going to school. I am thirty-one years old, and that is a little about me. My journey at the University of Lagos started when I was working as a waitress before becoming a beautician. One day, while working, I met a man of God who asked about me. I had just finished some studies and was working because I did not have enough money to go back to school. He invited me to his church and asked me to start attending."

"From there, I thought about what I wanted to do with my life. I told him I wanted to continue my education, and he helped me enroll in the program I chose at the Guinea Lagos Institute of Continuing Education. It was full-time evening lectures. He paid for the first year, and over time, I started paying my own school fees. I moved from being a waitress to being a full-time student. That is how my journey began."

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She said the man who encouraged her to return to school paid her first year fees but later moved with his family.

UNILAG graduate says she couldn't give up

After he moved, she had no one else to help her. Being in her final year, she could not afford to drop out.

She said:

"What made me decide not to give up was that I had already gone through a lot. There were strikes, COVID, and many challenges, and I had come so far. When I went out to look for school fees, it was my final year. I was ready to do anything, even beg, to finish a course that had taken almost eight years. I was not going to give up. I could not waste all those years. I could not see myself dropping out and saying this challenge made me quit. I just could not."

UNILAG graduate shares reaction to her video

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Legit.ng asked how she felt going out in public to beg for help.

@kemacraft said she felt ashamed and disappointed but focused on her goal. She knew people would talk, but she cared more about achieving her goal.

"I felt ashamed. I felt like my parents had failed me, even though they are alive and well. I felt disappointed in the school system because there should be a proper way to manage fee increases. I knew people would talk and criticize me, but my goal was to get support for my school fees. That helped me get past feeling ashamed and disappointed."

She also shared what some classmates said after seeing the video but stayed determined.

"Some classmates asked how I could do that, how I could go to the streets. One said I did not look like I needed school fees because I was dressed properly. Those moments made me tear up, but I kept going. I tagged bloggers and celebrities like Davido, Asha Kain, and Tunde Ednut, but nobody helped at first. It was shocking because I saw others tag people online for laptops or phones and get help, but I did not. It made me feel like nobody valued education, but it also pushed me to step out and ask for help."

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UNILAG graduate shares how she got help

Despite setbacks and criticism, she eventually got the support she needed.

"Who helped me? Honestly, many Nigerians helped me. Everyday people gave me money even if it was not shown in videos. I got more than I expected. Some of the money helped pay my school fees, and I also used some to start a business. A company called Future Finance asked me to hold a placard while they gave me money. Many anonymous people also donated. One person even paid my school fees directly, but I cannot give names."

She encouraged anyone needing help to ask for support.

UNILAG graduate speaks after getting help

After getting help and starting a business, she said she could not attend her convocation because she was sick and had surgery.

"After graduation, I had many interviews to attend, but I ended up in the hospital from January to mid-March. I had two major surgeries for fibroids. I was supposed to do the surgery at a military hospital, but it did not work, so I was moved to another hospital. Since then, my life has changed. Maybe not exactly the way I wanted, but I am grateful to be alive and to have opportunities like this interview.

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"Life is life. When you overcome one problem, another comes. My life did change since the story went viral. People see me as motivation. I also felt relief. I did not do anything wrong to get this money. It showed me that there are people willing to help if you ask."

UNILAG graduate gives advice to students

She gave advice to students in similar situations:

"When it gets tough, ask yourself: is my problem bigger than other people’s problems? Is it solvable? If I ask for help, will I get results? Am I ready to let go of my shame, pride, and ego to chase my goal? Everybody struggles, even first class students. Whatever struggle you are in, do not give up. Do not limit yourself. Do not think death is the end or that it cannot be solved. There is always a solution. If you need to lower your standard to get a result, do it."

Watch the Tiktok video below:

Man sets new CGPA record in UNILAG

Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that a University of Lagos (UNILAG) graduate, Oluwasegun Ilesanmi, went viral after achieving the highest CGPA ever recorded in his department.

He graduated with a first-class degree in Employment Relations and Human Resources Management, breaking a 44-year-old record.

Source: Legit.ng