'You have begged a lot in life' — Nigerians drag Onyeka Nwelue after Wole Soyinka paid his ₦10m hospital bill

• Onyeka Nwelue revealed that Prof. Wole Soyinka paid the outstanding ₦10 million balance for his ₦39 million knee surgery.

• Soyinka reportedly followed up personally to ensure the hospital received the money before Nwelue confirmed the payment.

• The author also thanked Soyinka for previously standing as his guarantor during his Japan residency application.

• After the revelation, Nigerians resurfaced Nwelue's old tweets about poverty, accusing him of hypocrisy and sparking heated reactions on X.

Nigerian author and filmmaker Onyeka Nwelue has stirred mixed reactions online after revealing that Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka came to his rescue by paying the outstanding ₦10 million balance for his knee surgery.

Nwelue shared the story on X on Monday while celebrating Soyinka's 92nd birthday, describing the literary icon as someone whose kindness has changed his life more than once.

According to him, the knee surgery cost about ₦39 million, but after the operation, he was still owing the hospital around ₦10 million.

"When I told Professor Wole Soyinka that my knee surgery cost about 39 million and that I had about 10 million to pay the hospital, he said: 'Let me get to Lagos this Friday and see what I can send.'"

Nwelue said Soyinka asked for the hospital's bank details, which he immediately sent.

READ ALSO: ₦50k WAEC/NECO hike paused as FG suspends controversial exam fee increase after Nigerians cried out

A few days later, the Nobel Laureate followed up to make sure the payment had gone through.

He recalled Soyinka's message:

"By Monday, he messaged me: 'Receiving no notification from you, I asked my bank for confirmation that the money has been sent.

'Forwarding separately the affirmation documents from the bank in case you need to track the funds. Bank document attached in case you need to track the remittance. I just wish to ensure it's landed in the right place.'"

After contacting the hospital, Nwelue said he was informed that the outstanding bill had been cleared completely.

"When I reached out to the hospital, they confirmed they had received the complete money. What could I have done without him?"

He also celebrated Soyinka's new age with another heartfelt tribute, praising the Nobel Laureate's energy despite turning 92.

"My true love is 92 years today! He is still very active. Uses his iPhone and sends his emails. Travels frequently. I am forever grateful to Nature for everything."

This is not the first time Nwelue has publicly acknowledged Soyinka's support.

Earlier this year, he revealed that the Nobel Prize winner personally stood as his guarantor when he applied for residency in Japan. According to him, Soyinka wrote a formal letter to Japanese authorities in April 2025 introducing him as "a bona fide visitor to Japan" and guaranteed his conduct during his stay.

However, while many praised Soyinka's generosity, several Nigerians turned their attention to Nwelue's past social media posts about poverty, accusing him of mocking poor people despite receiving financial help himself.

READ ALSO: Video: 28-year-old Army lieutenant killed while rescuing abducted Oyo pupils, teachers laid to rest with full military honours

Some of the reactions read:

"If you can't pay just 39 million for your surgery, Why then are you always here insulting poor people as if your father was Abacha? Enemy of the poor people is also secretly poor."

"You have received too much financial help for someone who calls others poor, I thought you had it all."

"Get well soon @onyekanwelue. However, I find it shocking that you hadn't all the money to solve all your problems. You are a despicable character."

"To be very honest with you, you have no moral right to drag poor people at all because you are just a privileged poor man with connections. The number of people who have helped you financially is astonishing yet you drag poor people. This life!"

"You have begged alot in life for someone that has too much disdain for poor people. Imagine all those you've begged telling you to fuck off when you did. Maybe you for still dey where cultist for don kpai your life. ThankGod for your life always."

Many also resurfaced some of Nwelue's controversial old posts, where he made sweeping claims about poverty, including:

"Born into a poor family? It is impossible to escape poverty. If you like, get mad at me. You will keep struggling until you die."

The old posts have since reignited debate on X, with many users saying the revelation about his surgery has exposed what they described as hypocrisy, while others argued that receiving help during a difficult time should not be used to shame anyone.