Shock as upcoming artiste burns varsity certificate after disheartening 9–5 job offer

An upcoming Nigerian artiste has sent the social media abuzz after a viral video showed him setting his university degree and NYSC certificate ablaze, following a frustrating experience with a white-collar job offer.

In the video, the visibly emotional young man narrated how he spent seven years pursuing his BSc and completing the mandatory NYSC program, only to be met with rejection and underwhelming offers in the job market. He revealed that despite dreaming of becoming a musician, he decided to pursue a “Plan B” by seeking traditional employment, hoping it would provide some stability.

However, after attending a job interview, he was offered a monthly salary of ₦95,000. While heading home, he did the math and realized he would spend about ₦3,000 daily on transportation—amounting to roughly ₦60,000 monthly. This would leave him with just ₦35,000 to survive on, a figure he described as “an insult” compared to the energy, money, and time he invested in his education.

Clad in formal attire and visibly exhausted, the artiste declared he was done chasing backup plans and instead would focus fully on his passion for music. He then set fire to his certificates in an open space, symbolizing his final break from the conventional path.

The emotional act has stirred mixed reactions across social media. While some netizens sympathized with him, citing Nigeria’s rising youth unemployment and economic hardship, others criticized his decision as hasty and emotional.

Read some netizens’ reactions below as an upcoming artiste burns his certificates;

@Akingbade2: lol ….something that he can always request for another one….just the stress tho. Education can look useless too, until you want to japa and they say school is the only route, and now you need a degree (BSc) to qualify to study a masters(1 year) abroad.

@akinwale: Some of us started our 9-5 career on the Island collecting N9,000 but anyways I want to believe this one na content sha!

@timmy: The frustration is everywhere!! Sometimes you go months without credit alert yet you dea collect debits everyday and u go dea ask yourself questions and answer them the same time.. I wish him success on his new journey jawe

@dhavidtips: Omo the pain the fustration and everything.. bro is in pain he just want to be successful. Omo e no easy. For those 9-5 workers. Feeding money unkor. And other expenses before salary comes in only God fit help us all

Still, the video continues to trend as a raw reflection of the growing frustration many young Nigerians face in a system that seems to undervalue their educational efforts.