UNILAG admits girl who supports family through hawking

A path to a prosperous future has been paved for Makinde Elizabeth, a young girl who used to sell assorted items on the streets of Lagos despite coming from a low-income family.

Elizabeth became a Twitter sensation when she caught the attention of the founder of Tech in Slums Africa.

Tunde Onakoya, the founder of Tech In Slums Africa, revealed that he first encountered her in 2021 while she was hawking biscuits beneath the Oshodi Bridge in Lagos. After joining his project to get kids off the streets through chess, she was given the chance to continue her education.

He stated that despite Elizabeth and her mother’s lack of housing, Elizabeth expressed interest in attending school.

Tunde added that he paid for her entrance exams, which she completed so well that she was granted admission to the University of Lagos to pursue a degree in history and education.

He wrote; “Elizabeth was hawking biscuits under Oshodi bridge with her Mum when we met her in 2021. They didn’t have a place to live but she wanted to go to school so we paid for her exams.

Today, she gained admission into Unilag to study education and history. I’m not crying, I promise Hope is everything. Okay, let’s help Elizabeth settle into undergraduate life with ease. They still don’t have a place to live and she still does menial jobs (cleaning homes and offices) to support her mother.

We’re still fully committed to paying her tuition through University but I think at this point, she needs a female mentor more than anything else. Please send @iamainembabazi a message if you can commit some time to mentor her. We can’t stop believing.”