Seven-year-old artist Kendis has been rewarded with a ₦2.5 million cash prize and a full scholarship up to university level after his portrait of Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi) went viral on social media .
The young artist was honoured on Sunday during Senator Adeola’s Scholarship and Bursary Award Ceremony after being invited to present the original portrait to the lawmaker. He was warmly received by Adeola and his wife, Temitope Adeola, before the scholarship and cash reward were announced .
Kendis, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, explained the inspiration behind the artwork in an emotional video shared through his father’s TikTok account. He recounted conversations with his father whenever food was served at home, where he was told, “There is no egg o, Kendis, ko s’owo, manage. Things will get better soon” .
“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” .
Kendis said he decided to express his hope through art instead of waiting endlessly. “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” .
The gesture drew applause from attendees, who described it as an encouragement for young talents. Senator Adeola, the APC governorship candidate in Ogun State, has a long-standing record of supporting educational and empowerment initiatives, including scholarship awards to youths in Ogun West .