It all started when Nigerian musician Adekunle Gold had requested First class graduates in the country to upload their transcripts, in order to encourage them with 250,000 naira he called ‘coco money’ (Public Relation for his newly released album)

People from various universities did just like Basil Enebeli, a graduate of University of Benin with 4.91/5.00 CGPA class of 2020/2021 academic session, however his upload exploded.

It took a twist when it was found out that Enebeli is also a fashion designer with the brand name ‘iBEND’, which led to various comments belittling his fashion creativity as a result of his academic brilliance.

@en_RICKY_ wrote: “I feel you champ. But you’re a rare gem, a full-fledged scientist, a walking nuclear warhead and in a saner clime nothing would take you anywhere near tailoring (fashion designing). /It’s an art! not rocket science”

@saint_usen: “Wait, do you mean you’re now sewing clothes? You’re too intelligent na, like your degree is a product of intelligence.”

@avuskiy_jamin: “Fine this is what we want for him not carrying Scissors and tape. Will be his biggest fan if he makes it. Because guy physics is hard. That was what i did in school. Quantum mechanics Schrondiger cat”

@babakwesidaplug: “If you graduated with a first class but not using it to put food on your table, then your first class is useless.”

The derogatory comments about his handwork got to Enebeli who was miffed enough to schooled them that intelligence should not be boxed into a ‘White Collar’ job: “Can we all wrap it up with this First class, common tailor narrative???

“It’s sickening how we think as a society. We’re always chasing titles that sound nice. You wouldn’t hear comments like this if I was currently doing one white collar job, whatever the pay is…”

This prompted him to share his story on how his fashion journey began, telling commenters not to hold pity party for him, because he still intends to continue his physics journey while his brand gain more exposure and gain ground home and abroad.

The first class graduate post read: “I did not intend to share details of my personal life out here but I see that some of you are genuinely concerned about what happened, if my hand was forced into tailoring or not. It cannot just be reduced to a simple yes/no conclusion…

“I’ve been sewing since before I gained admission into the University, I learnt from my mum just after my WAEC. It’s something that came quite naturally to me. I’d go on to sew in school as a means of survival and I also enjoyed seeing my work on people

“How I was able to balance it while studying, I don’t know. I just believe in giving my all to whatever I find myself doing. Fast forward to just a month after I graduated, I lost my dad, who happened to be our sponsor. As fresh graduate and the first son, imagine taking the heavy responsibility of surviving and also helping my younger brothers who just gained admission at the time…

“We all know how the economy is… Infact, I couldn’t do my clearance for months after graduation, thankfully for the gift of good people and my clients, We’ve been able to survive, a few debts here and there but the Lord be praised. But what this meant was that for two years, time and resources to chase after scholarship opportunities would be sacrificed, at least for the mean time.

“The good thing about it was that, while it paid the bills, the brand grew and has the potential to even explode. While I’m still settling debts, I’m getting ready again to put out applications.

“@Mrpossidez and a few other wonderful people here have offered to assist In taking care of my GRE and other Standardized tests.

“And whatever version of the future becomes reality, one thing is constant, you all will Wear BEND (the brand). Thank you all so much!” he added.

Wowed by his academic brilliance @Mrpossible “currently working with a physics scholar at CERN in Switzerland promised the young man a ‘solid opportunity’ in a post on X

In testament to his brilliance and creativity, there had been various accolades from customers on @BasilEnebeli timeline regarding his fashion brand, cementing his niche in the industry.

@NoahNode review read: “BEND is more than just sewing clothes. When you wear an outfit from BEND you’ll know it’s more than just “wearing clothes”

“BEND is a statement! It speaks of excellence!

“And knowing that a 4.91 first class graduate made my outfit? What more can I expect? Peak Excellence!”

@IfyofLagos added to it: “BEND is beyond the “sewing clothes”, it is EXCELLENCE. Man made me feel on top of the world with this fit.”

By Adeoye Olorunseun Elizabeth