In a nation where early childhood education is a hot-button issue—balancing playtime with academic pressure— a Lagos-based father has gone viral for calling out his daughter’s nursery school over what he deems an absurd assignment for a toddler. On September 16, 2025, Chukwudi Okoro, a 35-year-old IT consultant, took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the institution for sending home “homework” for his 2-year-old daughter, Zara: a worksheet requiring her to trace letters and count basic shapes. “This is child abuse! My baby can’t even hold a crayon properly, and you’re stressing her with ‘assignments’? I paid ₦150,000 for nursery termly fees, not for homework that makes her cry. Refund my money or face the consequences,” he fumed in a thread that exploded with over 5,000 likes and 1,200 retweets within hours.
Okoro’s rant, complete with a photo of the crumpled worksheet smeared with what looks like yogurt stains, struck a chord amid Nigeria’s ongoing debates on “pushing too hard too soon” in creches and playgroups. He argued that at 2 years old, kids should be finger-painting rainbows or stacking blocks, not battling phonics under parental supervision. “Schools are turning nurseries into mini-primary schools to justify fees, but who’s thinking of the child’s development? Zara comes home exhausted, and now I’m the bad guy for not ‘helping’ with her ‘work’?” he added, tagging education influencers and even the Lagos State Ministry of Education. The post snowballed when he shared a voice note of Zara’s frustrated wails during an attempted “study session,” captioning it: “This is what ₦150k buys? Tears and tantrums?”
The school in question, Little Stars Academy in Ikeja, hasn’t issued an official response yet, but sources close to the matter whisper it’s standard “pre-literacy activities” designed to build fine motor skills. Director Mrs. Funmi Adebayo defended the practice in a private chat with Legit.ng, saying, “We align with the National Policy on Early Childhood Care, which encourages basic exposure from age 2. It’s not ‘homework’ like for older kids—it’s play-based learning.” But Okoro isn’t buying it, threatening legal action via the Consumer Protection Council if his refund demand—full term fees plus “emotional distress compensation”—isn’t met by week’s end. “I’m not against learning, but this is overkill. Let kids be kids!”
Social media erupted in a classic Naija divide: Team Parent vs. Team School. Supporters rallied behind Okoro, flooding his thread with war stories. “My 3-year-old’s school gave ‘maths’ with addition—addition! For a kid who still eats crayons. Father, collect that refund and run,” one mum vented, echoing a similar outcry from February when another parent messaged her son’s teacher over headache-inducing tasks. Fathers chimed in too, like one who quipped, “Schools dey chop our money, now they want our peace? No be juju be that?” A viral reply thread saw users sharing memes of toddlers “studying” with sippy cups, racking up laughs and 300+ quote tweets.
On the flip side, educators and “pro-discipline” folks pushed back hard. “At 2, tracing A’s builds brainpower—don’t be lazy parents complaining,” snapped a primary school teacher, citing studies on early stimulation. Another X user, a child psychologist, weighed in: “Homework at this age? Mild overreach, but refunds? Dramatic. Talk to the school first.” The backlash even veered personal, with trolls digging up Okoro’s old posts about “hustling for school fees” to label him a “broke complainer.” One zinger: “If you can’t afford the full package, send her to public creche—problem solved.”
This isn’t the first time Nigerian schools have caught heat for toddler “academics.” Back in March, a mum went viral slamming her kid’s “impossible” maths homework, blaming it on teachers’ laziness. And in July, a dad cried foul over endless graduation add-ons for secondary kids, begging managements to “pity parents.” With school fees skyrocketing—nursery now averaging ₦100k-₦200k per term in urban spots like Lagos—frustrations are boiling over, fueled by economic squeezes like 34% inflation. As one X post put it, “Schools: Collect fees. Parents: Collect sense.”
Okoro’s saga taps into a deeper cultural clash: the push for “competitive edge” in a job-scarce economy versus protecting childhood innocence. Will Little Stars cough up the cash, or will this end in court? For now, the dad’s standing firm, updating his thread with “Day 2: Still waiting—Zara’s playing freely today, no worksheets in sight.” In Naija’s parenting trenches, it’s a reminder: even the tiniest homework can spark the biggest battle. As fans cheer, “Refund or riot!”—one thing’s clear: this father’s not backing down, slippers or no.