The goat is now a celebrity – how this graduation gift went viralDescribed as calm character, Promise Okoro's goat loves friend rice and has become celebrated locally.7 hrs agoAfrica

When Promise Okoro walked out of his final degree exams earlier this month, he fully expected the usual end-of-term celebrations.

His cheering friends were already outside blasting music and snapping and filming this much-loved Nigerian “signing-out” ritual.

Their white shirts filled up with messages scribbled by classmates and well-wishers – a colourful record of a shared journey through education.

But then, through the crowd, came Promise’s mother, Chinyere, pulling a goat.

The 23-year-old pharmaceutical technology student initially thought the screams meant someone was about to propose marriage.

Instead, he found his friends gathered around his mother, who was making her way towards him, gently coaxing the farm animal behind her.

“I was so happy,” he told BBC Pidgin. “I felt so emotional.”

He says he was not embarrassed at all. Instead, his classmates cheered.

The moment was captured on video and quickly spread online, drawing thousands of warm reactions.

For some people outside south-east Nigeria, a goat might seem like an unusual gift to mark the end of university. But among the Igbo people, the animals can carry deep cultural meaning.

They are valuable gifts, often given to show respect, appreciation and goodwill and are associated with important occasions such as traditional weddings, family celebrations and ceremonies honouring elders or special guests.

Promise has not yet hit on a fitting name for his prized possession.

Some have questioned what the graduand now plans to do with the animal – but he tells the BBC it is very much his companion so he would never eat it.

“It’s now my pet, it’s too precious to me, I have no intention of killing it.”

In fact, the plan is to get a female goat and start breeding the pair.

Until then, Promise’s goat will continue enjoying special status at the student halls where he roams freely and even has some human-like habits.

“I have noticed it loves fried rice a lot! The way he eats up my fried rice leftovers – very voracious,” laughs Promise.

Now something of a local hero, the goat accompanied Promise to a nearby supermarket where fans clambered to take photos of the animal.

“It got on a car ride with me from my hostel to the mall… it was calm [even though] it’s now a celebrity – more popular than me.

“I also take it around my street for some evening walks”.

Promise gained not just a new friend but also high praise from his mother Chinyere – this gift was her way of saying “I am proud of you” and she wanted everybody to know.

She had travelled, goat in tow, for more than an hour from Ubaha-Eze, the small farming community where the family lives, to surprise her son at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede in Imo state.

Chinyere had once dreamed of buying her son something very different – a shiny new vehicle.

“I did not have money for a 4matic Jeep – I love that car – so I said let me buy this little gift,” she said.

The 4Matic is a Mercedes-Benz SUV – a car she said was beyond what she could afford.

Chinyere is a trader who sells consumer goods, including food, drinks and local snacks.

Business has been difficult but even with the financial pressures she was determined to keep her promise to her son.

When he got into university she had said he would be rewarded if he stayed away from violent gangs and other bad influences and not to drop out. Promise had done exactly that.

And now his mother wanted to stick to the pledge. She bought the goat for 120,000 naira ($88; £66).

“People love my son, I want[ed] to prove that he is [loved],” she said

“As I walked in and met loud celebrating and shouting, it gladdened my heart knowing that my son will rejoice together with us all when he comes out,” she said.

For Promise, the relationship with his mother goes far beyond the celebrations.

“My mom is very cool,” he said. “There is nothing I can hide from her and whenever she is confused about something, she always calls me to ask of my opinion or idea.”

As a student of pharmaceutical technology Promise said he has always wanted to help sick people in Nigeria.

He knows that many health professionals have left the country in search of better opportunities abroad, while those who remain often work in difficult conditions.

But he wants to stay and contribute to improving Nigeria’s strained health system.

Even as he waits for his final results, he believes he performed well. “If there is a list of the top 50, I will say that I am one of them.”

Nigeria’s tertiary education completion rate is 11.3 out of every 100 people. That is slightly higher than the average of 10.5 out of 100 across sub-Saharan Africa, but below the 17.6 out of 100 average for lower middle-income countries.

For Promise, completing his studies is therefore not simply another line on a certificate.

It is a milestone his mother has been waiting to celebrate. And now, he says, it is his turn.

“The way she has shocked me, I will make sure I reciprocate.”

Whatever surprise Promise eventually finds for his mother, it may be difficult to match the one she gave him: a brown goat, brought from their village with love and determination – a simple gift that has united thousands of people who have watched the moment unfold online.

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