7-year-old's viral painting of Yayi earns him ₦2.5m, full scholarship to university

• Seven-year-old artist Kendis received ₦2.5 million and a full scholarship to university from Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi).

• His portrait of the APC governorship candidate went viral after being shared on TikTok by his father.

• Kendis moved Nigerians with his emotional story about constantly hearing "things will get better tomorrow" at home.

• The senator honoured the young artist during his Scholarship and Bursary Award Ceremony, describing the gesture as support for young talent.

A seven-year-old boy whose emotional story about poverty and hope melted hearts online has received a life-changing reward after his portrait of Ogun State APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, went viral.

The young artist, Kendis, was awarded a full scholarship up to university level alongside a cash gift of ₦2.5 million by Senator Adeola during the senator's Scholarship and Bursary Award Ceremony held on Sunday.

Kendis attended the event with his father, where he presented the original portrait to the lawmaker. The surprise reward came after the artwork and the boy's touching explanation behind it gained massive attention on social media.

According to Emmanuel Ojo, who shared the update on Facebook, Kendis and his father were warmly welcomed by Senator Adeola and his wife, Temitope Adeola, before the announcement of the scholarship and cash gift.

The gesture drew loud applause from guests, with many describing it as a powerful way of encouraging young talents and rewarding creativity.

The portrait had first gone viral on TikTok after it was posted on the account @noahs_ark.ng, managed by Kendis' father in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

But it wasn't just the painting that caught people's attention. It was the heartbreaking story behind it.

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In the now-viral video, the seven-year-old explained how constant promises of "things will get better" from his father inspired him to create the artwork.

"My name is Kendis. I am an artist. Let me tell you how it started," the seven-year-old said.

He recalled how his father would often apologise whenever there wasn't enough food at home.

"Every time my dad gives me rice, he will say, 'There is no egg o, Kendis, ko s'owo, manage. Things will get better soon.'

"Every time he gives me garri, he will say, 'There is no sugar and groundnut o, Kendis, ko s'owo, manage. Things will get better soon.'"

Curious, Kendis said he eventually asked his father when that "soon" would finally arrive.

"So one day I asked him, 'Daddy, when is soon? When will things get better?'

"He said, 'In the nearest future.'

"I asked, 'When is the nearest future?'

"He said, 'Tomorrow.'

"Hmm… tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Every time, tomorrow.

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"Tomorrow never comes for my daddy."

Instead of waiting endlessly, the young boy said he decided to create the future he kept hearing about through art.

"So I told him, instead of waiting for tomorrow to come, let us paint tomorrow today. Let us paint the future now… so we don't have to wait any longer for tomorrow that never comes."

He added: "Through the eyes of a little child, we painted our future now.

"We painted our tomorrow, today.

"We painted joy, we painted hope, we painted happiness, we painted our aspiration.

"We painted today. No more waiting for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is now. Our future is now."

The emotional message resonated with thousands of Nigerians, many of whom said the story reflected the daily struggles of countless families battling economic hardship while still holding on to hope.

Now, what started as a simple painting has changed Kendis' life, with a university education already secured and ₦2.5 million to support his dreams.