A seven-year-old painter, Kendis, has been rewarded with a ₦2.5 million cash gift and a scholarship that will cover his education through university after a portrait he created of Ogun State APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, attracted widespread attention online.
The recognition came during Senator Adeola’s Scholarship and Bursary Award Ceremony on Sunday, where the young artist presented the original painting to the lawmaker.
Emmanuel Ojo, who shared the development on Facebook, said Kendis and his father were received by Adeola and his wife, Temitope, before the senator announced the scholarship and cash reward.
Many people at the event applauded the gesture, describing it as a meaningful way to support and inspire gifted children.
The portrait had earlier gone viral on TikTok after it was posted on the account @noahs_ark.ng, managed by Kendis’ father in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
In the viral video, the boy explained that he decided to “paint tomorrow today” after listening to his father’s repeated assurances that better days were ahead.
“My name is Kendis. I am an artist. Let me tell you how it started,” he said.
The seven-year-old recalled that whenever food was served at home, his father would remind him that things were difficult but would eventually improve.
“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 about when life would improve, Kendis said he asked his father when “soon” would finally come.
“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.
“Tomorrow never comes for my daddy.”
Rather than continue waiting, the young artist said he chose to express his hopes through painting.
“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 eye 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.”
