Porpular Nigerian TikTok sensation, Habeeb Hamzat Adelaja, fondly known as Peller, is facing backlash after a video showing him interviewing scores of job seekers for a ₦500,000 cameraman role surfaced and quickly went viral online.
In the video shared on Thursday by X user @Teeniiola, numerous men and women were seen gathered outside Backbox Studio in Lagos—some seated, others standing. eager for a chance to be selected for the role. The revelation that many of the applicants held master’s degrees sparked outrage and disbelief across social media platforms.
“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.
Within hours, the clip garnered over 2.6 million views and thousands of shares and comments across X, Instagram, and Facebook.
While some Nigerians found the scene entertaining, others saw it as a stark reflection of the harsh realities of Nigeria’s job market.
A Facebook user, Fagbenro SmileLee, commented, “Imagine look at the way he’s talking to them especially the guy that corrected him. He dey use all of them in the video catch cruise and money dey enter for am like that. This life no balance indeed.”
Another user, Mandy Beauty Arena, said, “From university to working for Peller wey no go school. God abeg ooo.”
On X, @Irunnia_ wrote, “Omo these are people with degrees in different fields but look at. Take your fight against poverty seriously abeg o.”
@FolajewuNelson also reacted, “Which job will give you 500k as a master’s holder in Nigeria? I bet he did it just to get back at them that he’s not educated, now he’s employing them.”
Some users, however, defended the importance of education.
X user @mo_free_ng warned against dismissing academic achievement, using NVIDIA’s success as an example.
“Don’t let clowns like this demotivate you with stunts like this trying to prove that school na scam. In the real world, people use education as a launchpad,” he said.
The conversation took another turn when some users began making tribal and health-related comments.
Facebook user Heaven Gideon Echezonachukwu posted, “Normally na HIV Certificate dem dey use work for this kind person. Is difficult to see an Igbo man in this kind of see finish hinterview.”
Another user, Rita Onyinyechi Onyinyechi, added, “Did I just hear… they are carrying their HIVs :joy::joy::joy:.” These remarks were widely condemned by other users, who called them insensitive and unnecessary.
This isn’t the first time Peller has faced public backlash. In 2024, he sparked controversy after announcing his intention to hire a first-class graduate as his personal assistant—a move that drew widespread criticism and led him to eventually delete the post.
