Nigerian’s Tutu Coker-Nnam wins $500K lottery jackpot in U.S.

Fortune has smiled on a Nigerian lady, Elizabeth Tutu Coker-Nnam, who lives in Maryland, United States after she won a $500,000 jackpot from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

The ticket was given to her belatedly by her brother as a birthday gift. She marked her birthday on 2 March.

Coker-Nnam of Upper Marlboro, Maryland told Virginia Lottery officials her brother gave her the Premier Cash Scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery as a late gift a few days after her birthday.

She said she forgot about the ticket for a few weeks until she was on the phone with her brother and decided to scratch it off while they were talking.

Elizabeth Tutu Coker-Nnam with her husband on her birthday 2 March

The scratched card had a huge surprise for her: a $500,000 top prize.

“I screamed! He screamed! We both screamed!” Coker-Nnam said, according to UPI.

The winner’s brother, who purchased the ticket at the B.O.B. at the Pentagon in Arlington, accompanied Coker-Nnam to collect her prize.

Elizabeth Tutu Coker-Nnam on Facebook

“If I’d known it was that, I’d have kept it,” he said.

Coker-Nnam said her winnings will help her make sure her brother gets a memorable gift for his birthday.

The Virginia Lottery is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was created in 1987 when Virginians voted in favor of a state lottery. The first ticket was sold on September 20, 1988. All profits from Virginia Lottery ticket sales go to K-12 public education.