Peller Faces Backlash for Posting Video of Job Seekers Scrambling for Cameraman Job in His Studio
Popular Nigerian TikTok content creator Habeeb Hamzat Adelaja, known widely as Peller, is facing backlash after a video showing dozens of job seekers vying for a ₦500,000 cameraman role at his studio went viral online, igniting heated debates about employment, education, and dignity in Nigeria.
The video, posted Thursday by X user @Teeniiola, showed large crowds—both men and women—gathered outside Backbox Studio in Lagos, all hoping to secure the coveted position. What drew even more attention was that many of the applicants claimed to hold master’s degrees, a detail that stunned many online observers and added a sobering layer to what initially seemed like a lighthearted social media moment.
Within hours, the clip racked up over 2.6 million views and flooded platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook with a wave of reactions ranging from anger to sympathy to uncomfortable amusement.
One Facebook user, Fagbenro SmileLee, criticized the tone of the video: “Imagine, look at the way he’s talking to them, especially the guy that corrected him. He dey use all of them in the video catch cruise and money dey enter for am like that. This life no balance indeed.”
Another comment from Mandy Beauty Arena read, “From university to working for Peller wey no go school. God abeg ooo,” summing up the frustration many Nigerians feel about an economy where formal education no longer guarantees professional success.
The discourse on X (formerly Twitter) echoed similar sentiments. @Irunnia_ lamented, “Omo these are people with degrees in different fields but look at. Take your fight against poverty seriously abeg o.” Meanwhile, @FolajewuNelson speculated on Peller’s motivations: “Which job will give you 500k as a master’s holder in Nigeria? I bet he did it just to get back at them that he’s not educated, now he’s employing them.”
Not all reactions were negative, however. Some users highlighted the broader implications and defended the value of education. X user @mo_free_ng warned against dismissing academic achievement entirely, stating, “Don’t let clowns like this demotivate you with stunts like this trying to prove that school na scam.
In the real world, people use education as a launchpad. Look at NVIDIA, look at AI those things are built by people who read.”
The incident has opened a wider conversation about Nigeria’s struggling job market and the perceived disconnect between academic qualifications and economic opportunity.
It also raises ethical questions about using vulnerable job seekers for online content, particularly when monetary rewards and public exposure are involved.
As the debate rages on, the viral video has become more than just content it’s now a flashpoint in a national dialogue about employment, dignity, and the value of education in modern Nigeria.
