Nigerians React as Master’s Graduates Queue for ₦500K Cameraman Job with Peller

Nigerian TikTok content creator, Habeeb Hamzat Adelaja, popularly known as Peller, has sparked widespread outrage and mixed reactions online after a viral video showed dozens of job seekers — including several individuals claiming to hold master’s degrees — applying for a ₦500,000-per-month cameraman role at his Lagos-based studio.

The footage, originally posted on Thursday by X user @Teeniiola, captured scenes outside Backbox Studio in Lagos, where a large crowd of hopeful applicants, both men and women, were seen waiting their turn to be interviewed.

“Peller and his 20 master’s degree holders applying for a cameraman job with ₦500K monthly pay. Omoh, even girls dey there too,” the post read. The clip quickly gained traction across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, amassing over 2.6 million views and thousands of comments within hours.

While some social media users found the scene amusing, others saw it as a sobering reflection of Nigeria’s worsening unemployment crisis — where even highly educated citizens are scrambling for media roles in influencer-run outfits.

A Facebook user, Fagbenro SmileLee, wrote: “Imagine the way he’s talking to them, especially the guy that corrected him. He’s using them for content and making money off their desperation. This life no balance indeed.”

Another comment by Mandy Beauty Arena read: “From university to working for Peller wey no go school. God abeg ooo.”

On X, @Irunnia_ tweeted: “These are people with real degrees, some probably from good schools. See what the country has turned them into. Fight poverty aggressively, o.”

Some critics suggested that Peller staged the interviews as a mockery of formal education. “Which job gives ₦500K monthly to a master’s holder in Nigeria?” asked @FolajewuNelson. “He’s doing this just to spite those who once mocked him for not being educated. Now he’s the one employing them.”

However, not all comments were critical. Some users took the opportunity to defend the value of education and warn against the growing trend of ridiculing academic achievement online.

X user @mo_free_ng wrote: “Don’t let clowns like this demotivate you. In the real world, people still use education as a launchpad. Just look at what NVIDIA and educated founders are doing globally.”

The online conversation later veered into controversy after some users introduced tribal and insensitive remarks. One Facebook user, Heaven Gideon Echezonachukwu, posted: “Normally na HIV Certificate dem dey use work for this kind person. It’s hard to see an Igbo man in this kind of ‘see finish’ hinterview.”

Another user, Rita Onyinyechi Onyinyechi, commented: “Did I just hear… they are carrying their HIVs.” These comments were widely condemned as tasteless, discriminatory, and irresponsible.

This isn’t the first time Peller has attracted criticism for his hiring practices. In 2024, he stirred online backlash after publicly offering a personal assistant role to a first-class graduate — a post many described as exploitative and tone-deaf. He eventually deleted the offer following the outrage.