Published 5th Aug, 2024

By Opeyemi Lawal

Dozens of monetary donations have rolled in for Folake Joy Olaleye, a professional teacher-turned-hawker, following FIJ’s interview at Ojota last week during which she opened up about her financial struggles.

FIJ first shared the video on its Twitter account, from where it went viral after a number of popular users — such as this, this and this — downloaded it and reused on their social media accounts without crediting FIJ as the source.

A few hours after FIJ published the interview on its X page, a user reached out asking to be connected to her to help send her children to school.

“Is there any way I can connect with her to help send her children to school?” the user asked FIJ.

Of the multiple Nigerians who have contacted FIJ to request for her account details, FIJ can confirm that one of them sent her N100,000.

@fijnigeria thanks for doing a great job. try watermark your videos so that people are more aware of credible media houses like yours and support independent journalism. this interview of yours really went viral but no water mark. @fisayosoyombo fyi pls. Thanks 👍🏽
— Elle🌺 (@sweetsixtien) August 4, 2024

FIJ met Olaleye at Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos, where protesters of the #EndBadGovernance have been protesting since August 1.

In the interview, Olaleye told FIJ that she could no longer afford to send her two children, who now hawk with her, to public primary school.

“I am out because I am suffering. I can no longer hide my feelings. I am here because I am suffering. I am starving. Sometimes, I will not eat so that the little sachet water I sell, I can be able to use it to feed my children.

“My children are also hawking. I hope she is here, I am not happy she is not. If there is still time, I can go and bring her.

“Just to register her at public school, they will demand N20,000; we thought the public school was free but it is not. When you get there, they will bill you, ‘go and bring N5,000 or N30,000 for uniforms.'”

Also, she added that she was trained as a teacher at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos with a Teacher Grade II Certificate (TC II), and the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE).

“I was a professional teacher before. I have TC II and NCE. I went to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. I did a part-time programme.”

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