Nigerian TikTok streamer Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller, has described the hardship he faced before he became famous.
Peller said he received only 200 naira daily for school as a child and, at times, had to beg his classmates for food.
“I suffered. I was collecting 200 naira daily for school, and I begged for food from my mates,” he said.
He explained that during his graduation, he collected the phone numbers of wealthier classmates, planning to reach out for small loans of 500 to 1,000 naira if he needed money in the future. He said the situation has now reversed, with those same classmates contacting him instead.
“When we were graduating, I collected all the rich children’s numbers in school to call them later for 1k or 500 naira each if I needed money. Today, they are the ones calling me,” he said.
Peller said the poverty he experienced pushed his mother to pray for him often. He also said people from Ikorodu, where he grew up, attended his wedding and were surprised at how far he has come.
“The poverty was too much. My mum prayed so much for me. Some people from Ikorodu came to my wedding and were shocked because they never thought I would make it in life,” he said.
He added that he now consults his wife, Jarvis, before making decisions, and that he can afford anything he wants.
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“I always send anything I want to do first to my wife, Jarvis. There is nothing I want that I cannot afford,” he said.
In the same livestream, Peller asked Jarvis a series of personal questions about their marriage. He asked her whether she was happy to have married him, and she said she felt blessed to be his wife. He then asked whether she ever felt shy about him, and she asked why she should feel that way. Peller told her he was aware that some people believed she was hiding him from public view, a comment he said had affected him. He also addressed critics who mock his age of 21, saying he is capable in ways that would surprise them, though he did not give details.
Peller’s account comes a week after his traditional wedding to Jarvis, held on August 1, 2026, in Lagos. The couple had earlier married in a court wedding on July 29, 2026. Their white wedding is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2026, and will be limited to between 80 and 100 guests, following complaints from Peller about bloggers overwhelming the traditional ceremony and phone theft affecting some guests outside the venue.
Reactions to Peller’s account were divided. Some social media users related to the amount he mentioned, recalling their own low pocket money as students, while others credited his mother’s prayers for his current success. A smaller group of users questioned the account, describing it as an exaggerated hardship story often told by celebrities after they achieve fame.
