Oreagba stole the show at this year’s Ojude Oba festival leading to his crowning as the steeze daddy by his social media admirers.
Farooq Oreagba, the newly crowned steeze daddy on Nigerian social media, has disclosed that he has an incurable form of cancer but his life priorities changed after he was diagnosed with the disease.
Oreagba, the Managing Director of NG Clearing and former Member of the Derivatives Product Advisory Committee of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, was the cynosure of all eyes at this year’s Ojude Oba festival, an annual celebration by the Ijebu people in Ogun State.
He went viral after photos of his grand entrance at the cultural and fashion event hit the social media.
Decked in a unique ensemble, featuring tattooed hands, a big tobacco cigar, native regalia, and a black sun shade, Oreagba melted many hearts and won accolades that made him the poster boy of the event.
Oreagba opens up on battle with cancer
Speaking on the Morning Show on Arise TV on Sunday, June 23, 2024, the NG Clearing MD revealed his passion for giving hope to cancer patients.
Even though his form of cancer, multiple myeloma, is incurable, Oreagba said being diagnosed with the condition in 2013 was the best thing that happened to him
“I’ve always been a bit of a controversial person, but we’ll not go into that. I think from the moment I was diagnosed with cancer in February 2014—it’s an incurable form of cancer—priorities changed.
“I’ll say this to somebody, and it’s going to sound ridiculous. I’m 58, and if I could live another 20 years, I’ll say being diagnosed with cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me. It changes my perspective on life. What I’m there for. I’m there for it.
“Counselling cancer patients, trying to improve access to better healthcare, I’ll do that all day long,” he said.
Oreagba finds fulfilment despite bout with cancer
He also stated that he participates in marathons to raise money for cancer charities just to give people hope.
“I got hope from places I least expected, and from some of those I expected, I got nothing. That’s life, and you learn your lessons,” he said.
The Ijebu indigene further spoke about how he has been able to find fulfilment and stay happy despite his health status.
“You don’t know how much time you’ve got; you line up your priorities. For me, it is family first because I don’t know how long I’m going to be around, but by God’s grace, I’m 10 years and counting, and since I’ve been crowned ‘king of steeze’, I’m not about to just go like that anytime soon.
“I’ve been counselling cancer patients for a while. I was diagnosed in February 2014. I had a bone marrow transplant in August 2014. I did chemotherapy every day, 21 days a month, for eight years.
“I don’t do chemotherapy anymore; I’m living my best life; I’m back working. That gives me a sense of fulfilment because people ask me why I am so happy. ‘I’m alive!’ And as long as you’re in the game, you can win the game; each day is a blessing,” the NG Clearing MD stated.
According to him, being diagnosed with cancer reduced the number of friends he keeps.
“One thing I realised is that when I was a senior executive at the exchange in the early 2000, let’s say I had five million friends.
“When I left the exchange in 2010, my five million friends went down to one million. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, my one million went down to a hundred. That was a very important lesson; it’s important that you hold your friends close, keep your 10 toes down all the time, and be yourself,” he added.
