A young Nigerian man, Nwanneka Joel, has inspired many after revealing that he once worked as a bricklaying labourer to fund his law degree.
The story began on X after a developer, @sirjarus, shared a post about the rising rates of construction site labourers in Nigeria.
“Site labourers? Used to be 2k per day. That was where the ‘earned my daily 2k’ joke on social media came from. I just called the bricklayers in our sites in these locations before responding to you and here are their responses:
Lagos – ₦10,000
Abuja – ₦7,000
Offa – ₦5,000,” he wrote.
... sparked reactions, with many people disclosing that they once worked as labourers to survive.
Surprised, Sir Jarus admitted:
“Shocked at the number of people saying they have done site labour work under this tweet. Used to think people that do (did) that kind of work are illiterates that can’t find their way to Twitter. I didn’t know men here did such jobs to survive at some point.”
Joel’s revelation
Amid the thread, Esquire Nwanneka Joel joined in, sharing how he once relied on site labour during his early university days.
He recounted:
“That was me utilising the 2018/19 ASUU strike to raise my fees as a Year 1 student, because we’d have to pay when we resume. That wasn’t the last hard labour I did while in University… But today, it’s all testimony. And then this picture popped out! 😂😂😂 I was already so deep in this work. How much did I make? ₦700/day 😫.”
Joel’s story, accompanied by old photos of him at construction sites, struck a chord with many Nigerians who praised his resilience and determination.
Call to bar
Now, years after those struggles, Joel is set to achieve his dream as he prepares for his Call to Bar on September 25, 2025.
His testimony has been widely celebrated across social media as a powerful reminder of how perseverance, faith, and hard work can transform humble beginnings into inspiring success stories.