Fans Criticize Chidi for Asking for $50,000 Despite Knowing His Sight Cannot Be Restored
The seventh season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days introduced viewers to Chidi Ikpeamaeze, a cast member who recently sparked controversy with his $50,000 GoFundMe campaign. While Chidi’s intention is to raise funds for eye surgery to restore his sight, his request has left many fans feeling disappointed and furious.
Chidi’s appeal for donations has rubbed many 90-Day Fiancé fans the wrong way. The show’s fans, many of whom are dealing with their own financial hardships, find it difficult to sympathize with Chidi’s plea for a substantial sum from strangers. For some, $50,000 could solve their immediate problems, making it hard to justify contributing to Chidi’s cause.
Although Chidi needs help and deserves a chance to regain his sight, many 90 Day Fiancé fans have labeled him a “Nigerian scammer.” This accusation mirrors the skepticism faced by his fellow Nigerian cast member, Michael Ilesanmi, who also sought donations from fans. The constant barrage of cast members using their reality TV fame to solicit money has left viewers weary and cynical.
Skeptics argue that Chidi’s sight may be irreversibly lost and that the funds might be misused. When Chidi and Rayne visited an eye doctor in Nigeria, the prognosis was grim. The doctor explained that Chidi’s vision problems stem from both cataracts and glaucoma, with exceedingly high eye pressure and no light perception. She highlighted that without light perception, the optic nerves are inactive and cannot naturally regenerate. This leaves little hope for restoring his sight, with the doctor cautioning that continued high eye pressure could lead to more complications.
Chidi’s eye doctor did not confirm nor deny the possibility of restoring his sight, stating that the chances of regaining vision are slim. His sister, Victoria, however, claims on the GoFundMe page that she has found a clinic in the United States capable of performing the necessary surgery. Despite sounding dubious to some, those willing to donate to Chidi’s GoFundMe campaign must trust that he and his sister will use the money as intended—to travel to the U.S. and pay for the surgery.
Fans grew tired of 90 Day Fiancé cast members leveraging their 15 minutes of fame to solicit money even before their season ends. For Chidi, the path to restoring his sight is fraught with skepticism and doubt. Whether his fundraising efforts will succeed or not remains to be seen, but his plea has undoubtedly stirred strong emotions among the show’s viewers.
