This Nigerian street artist went viral for speed-drawing an incredible portrait

A Nigerian street artist has gone viral for creating amazingly realistic portraits in under five minutes.

Sulayman Abu-bakr, a programme analyst at National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, tweeted that the artist had stopped him outside his office in Abuja, Nigeria to speed-draw a picture of him, with incredible results.

The portrait was drawn by artist Ahmed Sulaiman, aged 44.

The tweet has become extremely popular, reaching over 41,000 retweets and seeing hundreds complimenting Sulaiman’s skills.

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Abu-bakr said: “He’s so happy his work is getting recognised all over… he was so excited. He’s hoping to set up a studio in the near future.”

Abu-bakr then posted an update on the artist, saying that he had invited him to his office to see the reaction the tweet had gathered.

He explained that Sulaiman had lost his wife, and is using donations from his portraits to make a living.

Abu-bakr set up a fundraising campaign to send Ahmed to a rehabilitation centre, get him a place to stay, a studio, and materials to practice his craft.

He said: “We are trying to raise funds to take him to a rehab and subsequently set him up… he wants to challenge himself to see how much better he can be.”

The campaign has so far raised over £2,000, and Sulaiman now has his own Twitter and Instagram pages, where people can appreciate his artwork.