Businessman Farooq Oreagba, widely known as “Mr Steeze,” has spoken candidly about a major downturn in his finances, revealing that he went from being a dollar millionaire at age 30 to working as a labourer in England five years later.
Oreagba made the disclosure during an appearance on MENtality, a show hosted by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and co-hosted by singer Banky W. The episode, centered on wealth, materialism and life priorities, was published on Ebuka’s YouTube channel on Friday.
In a discussion on the value people place on money, Oreagba posed hypothetical questions to Ebuka. “How much is money to you? Give me a number. A billion dollars?” he asked. When Ebuka said he did not derive satisfaction from money, Oreagba followed up: “If I gave you $10 million now, what would you say?” Ebuka responded jokingly, “I would call you from Miami to thank you.
”Oreagba then asked whether he would still accept the money if it came with only 24 hours to live. “If I told you can have it, but not live more than 24 hours, what would you do?” Ebuka replied, “I could make $10 million, so it’s not worth it.”Drawing from the exchange, Oreagba reflected on his own experience.
“Right. So then all of a sudden, living actually has a lot of value to it. I was a dollar millionaire at 30. At 35, I was working as a labourer,” he said. He confirmed the job was in England.Oreagba explained that his fortunes changed after he resigned from his banking job to pursue another venture.
“I had a dream, something I wanted to do, and I lost my job as a banker. And to maintain that lifestyle, I was hustling, doing all kinds of things, but nobody saw it. The Porsches were still outside.
I had my priorities wrong,” he said.Now 59, Oreagba said the experience reshaped his view of wealth and success. “I’m going to be 60 next month, and my lifestyle has not changed.
All that has happened is a viral photo brought me to everybody’s attention,” he noted. He added: “We place value on the wrong things. I’ve said this before, you may have 99 problems, but the minute you have a health problem, you only have one problem.
”Oreagba rose to wider public prominence following his stylish appearance at the 2024 Ojude Oba Festival, which went viral on social media and earned him the nickname “Mr Steeze.” Since then, he has become a frequent voice in conversations around lifestyle, business and personal values.
