I TOOK A 20 MILLION NAIRA LOAN TO PAY FOR MY SON’S UNIVERSITY FEES, NOW HE WANTS TO DROP OUT OFF SCHOOL- MAN SHARES PAINFUL STORY

I never imagined I would be here, typing out my pain for strangers to read, but life has a way of humbling you when you least expect it.

After my son finished secondary school, he had very good grades. He was brilliant, focused, and full of promise. Naturally, the next step was university, but reality hit us hard, I didn’t have the money to send him immediately. As a father, that broke me. I didn’t want my son to settle for less because of my financial limitations. I wanted him to attend one of the best private universities in Nigeria, a place that would give him exposure, discipline, and a solid future.

So I made a decision that changed my life forever.
I took a ₦20 million loan to send him to Babcock University.

It was not a decision I made lightly. I weighed the risks, the interest, the years of repayment, and the toll it would take on my health and finances. But I told myself it was worth it. Education is something nobody can take away from you, or so I believed. I convinced myself that this sacrifice was a gift I was giving my son, a head start in life.

Today, he is in Year 3.
Last week, he told me he wants to drop out of school.

According to him, he wants to pursue music. He says he doesn’t need a university degree to be successful in music. He mentioned artists who made it without school and talked about passion, dreams, and destiny. I listened quietly, even though my heart was sinking with every word.

Let me be clear, I am not against him pursuing music. Not at all. I believe in dreams. I believe in talent. I believe in following your passion. What hurts me is that he wants to abandon school entirely, despite everything we have invested to get him this far.

I told him I am not asking him to give up music. I only want him to finish school first and earn his degree. That certificate is not just paper, it is an option. It is a backup. It is security. Life is unpredictable, and dreams don’t always pay bills immediately. I want him to have choices, to stand on more than one leg in life.

What he may not fully understand is the weight of that loan. Every month, a huge part of my income goes into repayment. I have postponed personal needs, cut down on basic comforts, and lived with constant financial pressure, all so he can have a future better than mine.

The pain is not just financial. It is emotional. It feels like watching something you built with sweat and faith slowly fall apart.

I am torn between being a supportive father and a man drowning in responsibility. I don’t want to kill his dreams, but I also don’t want my sacrifice to be in vain.