Afropop star Adekunle Gold, a.k.a. AG Baby, has turned Nigerian X (formerly Twitter) into a live scholarship fair, giving out cash to first-class students.
He dropped a digital bombshell on July 16, saying, “If you graduated with First class, post your transcripts.”
That single tweet turned into a frenzy of academic uploads, as graduates proudly paraded their grades in hopes of catching the artist’s generous gaze. And indeed, some did — receiving ₦250,000 each from the award-winning crooner in what social media dubbed “The AG Baby Academic Relief Fund.”
When Music Meets Merit: A Swipe Turns to Support
One lucky recipient exclaimed: “Feels like a dream… I had NO in my account. Goddddd!!!”
Another posted: “Baba God has picked up my call. I got an amount tagged to my HND… after 12 years of graduation.”
With Nigeria’s economy squeezing even the most academically accomplished, the gesture felt like rain in a drought. But as expected on the chaotic streets of X, not everyone clapped.
“OAU? No Way.” — A Petty Past Turns to Policy
Just as the lovefest was building momentum, AG Baby drew a line in the sand — and it ran straight through Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
“OAU Students, don’t bother,” he tweeted curtly.
Turns out, the singer hasn’t forgotten a 2015 performance flop at the institution, where a technical glitch forced him to replay Sade. The crowd booed. He claims they even retrieved part of his ₦300,000 fee from his hotel room.
The singer hasn’t forgiven or forgotten — and neither, it seems, has OAU Twitter, who launched a full clapback campaign. But AG stood firm. Grudges, like transcripts, also come with receipts.
Internet Reactions: Celebration Meets Side-Eyes
While many hailed the move as “the kind of celebrity energy we love,” others poked at its flaws:
Second-class citizens (of academia) jokingly cried foul:
“We wey get 2:2 nko? Even ₦50K fit change our lives.”
Data privacy advocates worried that sharing personal academic records online could be a scammer’s paradise.
A few cynics questioned the optics: “Why not support students still in school? Or those who couldn’t afford to attend at all?”
Lessons from the Giveaway
| Takeaway | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Tangible Support Wins Hearts | AG didn’t just tweet empty praise—he backed it with real money. |
| Education Still Holds Prestige | In a nation where joblessness haunts graduates, celebrating excellence still means something. |
| Influence Is a Double-Edged Sword | One tweet sparked generosity, tribalism, nostalgia, and national debate. |
