How I Went From a Dollar Millionaire at 30 to a Labourer at 35: King of Steeze Farooq Oreagba Speaks
- Businessman Farooq Oreagba, known as King of Steeze, opened up about his dramatic financial fall during an appearance on Ebuka Obi-Uchendu's MENtality show
- Oreagba revealed he lost his banking job and resorted to working as a labourer in England to maintain the lifestyle he had built
- The lifestyle icon used his personal story to argue that life holds far greater value than the pursuit of wealth
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Farooq Oreagba, the businessman celebrated for his iconic looks at the annual Ojude Oba Festival and widely known as King of Steeze, has opened up about one of the most difficult chapters of his life, admitting that a millionaire status at 30 gave way to working as a labourer in England just five years later.
Oreagba made the revelation on Ebuka Obi-Uchendu's MENtality show, co-hosted by Banky W, where the conversation turned to materialism, wealth and what people truly value in life.
Source: Instagram
To drive his point home, Oreagba posed a question directly to Ebuka, asking whether a billion dollars would ever truly satisfy anyone.
Ebuka responded that he was not chasing satisfaction, which prompted Oreagba to push further with a more direct offer.
"Okay now I'm going back to the first question about materialism and people chasing money but if I gave you 10 million dollars now, what would you say?" he asked.
Ebuka quipped that he would be calling from Miami to say thank you, until Oreagba added the condition that the money came with only 24 hours to live. Ebuka quickly declined, saying his life was worth more.
From banking career to building sites
That exchange became the launchpad for Farooq Oreagba's personal confession.
King of Steeze revealed that after losing his banking job, he became so determined to hold on to the lifestyle he had built that he began taking on any work available, including labouring in England.
"I was a dollar millionaire at 30, at 35 I was working as a labourer in England. I had my dream and all that, then I lost my job as a banker. To maintain that lifestyle I was hustling, doing all kinds of stuff… I had my priorities wrong. Sometimes we place priorities on…." he said.
Farooq Oreagba noted that chasing wealth without proper perspective had cost him greatly, and that many people fall into the same trap of placing money above what truly matters.
Watch King of Steeze Farooq Oreagba speak about his wealth in the video below:
Fans react to King of Steeze's story
The revelation resonated widely online, with many drawing lessons from his journey.
@Lizyung001 wrote:
"Life really humbles you. Dollar millionaire at 30, labourer at 35, and now at 60+ he became the face of Ojude Oba and a style icon. The comeback is always stronger than the setback. Never write yourself off."
@NovaAsks commented:
"When you set priorities wrong we will always come this and one thing about someone that has set a standard of how people should see them it's always hard to let people know you have gone broke."
@BlueSideOtaku observed:
"The things Nigerians do to maintain lifestyle is crazy."
@dygoodchild wrote:
"Ahhh Motivational Speaker 😂😂😂 That's interesting nevertheless."
@tosin_olarewaju said:
"All in all. Your live will always be valuable than money."
@CoinsCriteria added:
"Omo this world is deep more than what we can imagine, since I realized I don't blame anyone that fall short after getting rich, cos money comes and goes."
Source: Instagram
Farooq Oreagba drives Ojude Oba Festival growth
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Farooq Oreagba, cultural ambassador and “King of Steeze,” played a pivotal role in expanding the Ojude Oba festival.
Oreagba revealed that sponsorships and endorsements generated over N2 billion and boosted the local Ijebu economy by about $10 million.
He credited his Airtel endorsement in 2024 for sparking wider corporate interest, leading to partnerships with Goldberg, Polo Avenue, and other brands.
Source: Legit.ng
