Felix Nwachikerendu Madumere, a History and Strategic Studies graduate of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), has received about ₦10 million from social media users after a post meant to mock his appearance exposed the hardship he faced through school.
Felix, who graduated in 2026, was featured on TikTok by a woman identified as Chiamaka, who was happy for him. His worn-out shoes soon became the subject of jokes from some users.
Felix’s picture was reportedly taken from TikTok and posted on X to make fun of him. The post, however, took a different turn after an X user, Mercy, shared details of Felix’s struggle and asked people to look beyond his appearance.
Mercy said Felix had worked several jobs to survive, including selling peanuts, fetching water and washing clothes for other students. She also said he slept in classrooms at some point.
His school journey was marked by hardship
Felix, Mercy revealed, could not pay his school fees when he first gained admission and later failed to meet the required CGPA. His school withdrew him, but he wrote JAMB again and returned to school.
She wrote on X: “If you know him, you won’t catch cruise with him .. this boy will fetch water, wash other students clothes , hawk peanuts , sleep in classrooms.. cos he wasn’t able to pay his school fees the first time he got admission and couldn’t meet up with the cgpa..the school withdrew him .. still he wrote jamb and came back .. kudos to Felix fr.”
The account changed the reaction to Felix’s picture as X users began asking for his account details so they could support him.
Felix’s account details were shared with people who wanted to donate. The donations quickly increased, with more than ₦5 million raised in less than eight hours.
Felix had reportedly been gifted ₦1 million before the donations on X even gathered pace.
By the time this report was filed, Felix had received about ₦10 million.
Felix has also remained active on his X page, where he shared his own account of the hardship behind the picture that had become a subject of online jokes.
I was fighting to survive
Felix said his delayed graduation was not because he was lazy or unserious. He said he had to study and run a business at the same time because he had no one to support his education or pay his bills.
“You can laugh at the picture, but you don’t know the story behind it. I didn’t graduate with my set in the History Department in 2023 not because I was lazy or unserious, but u chose to make mockery of me. You’re laughing at someone who fell behind but refused to give up
“I was fighting to survive. I had to study and run a business at the same time because there was no one to support my education or pay my bills.
“There’s nothing I didn’t hawk just to be ok. This God you’re too good.”
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Felix also said age should not stop anyone from pursuing their dreams.
“Age is not an excuse in pursuing your dreams. It’s never late to start now.”
His story has since changed from one about worn-out shoes to one about a young man who worked to stay in school and meet his basic needs.
The donations have also given Felix financial support after years in which he said he had to work and study at the same time.
When an X user, Deriko, told Felix, “You’ve made it on top 10million lol”, suggesting whether ₦10 million could be regarded as having “made it”, Felix replied: “And you think 10 million is a joke to someone like me?”
The amount Felix has now got stood at ₦10 million as of the time of filing the report.
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