- Farooq Oreagba says he lives every day like it is his last after his battle with bone marrow cancer
- Oreagba, who gained new famed following his remarkable display at the 2024 Ojude Oba Festival, said his tattoos are symbolic
- The 58-year-old has an illustrious career in the financial sector and wants to raise awareness about cancer
Farooq Oreagba, who was crowned the king of steeze during the 2024 Ojude Oba Festival, has said he lives every day like it is his last after his ordeal with multiple myeloma (bone marrow) cancer.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NG Clearing Limited noted that his battle with the disease, which was diagnosed in February 2014, is the best thing to have happened to him and having been crowned ‘king of steeze,’ “I’m not about to just go like that anytime soon.”
Oreagba became the cynosure of eyes, the darling of camera lenses and social media users’ fave during the annual festival in Ijebu-Ode last week following his elegant display of class and style at the colourful event.
He was seen donning a stylish lemon and green-coloured agbada and shokoto, a matching fila, red coral beads, a Cuban cigar caught between his index and middle left fingers, sun glasses and tattoos on both arms.
Save for the rich display of elegance, charisma and style at the Ojude Oba Festival, Oreagba has maintained a low profile in his personal life but has an illustrious career and expertise in the financial services sector.
Journey with cancer
On the wave of his endearment to many Nigerians after the Ojude Oba Festival, Oregba said his battle with cancer was a life redefining moment for him and changed his perspective about life in an interview with Arise News, on Sunday, June 23.
He said, “I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma which is cancer of the bone in 2014 February. I had a bone marrow transplant in August 2014, been in remission since.
“I did chemotherapy everyday, 21 days a month for eight years. And I don’t do chemotherapy anymore, I’ve put on a bit of weight, I’m living my best life, I’m back working because it was difficult to take a full time job when I was doing all that, and that gives me a lot of fulfilment.
“The first thing they ask me is why are you so happy? I’m alive and as long as you’re in the game, you can win the game. Every day is a blessing, like I showed you, I live each day like it’s my last. I’m very passionate about my work in financial services, I’m very passionate about getting the cancer message across.
“I’m 58 and I say to you now, if I could live another 20 years, I would say being diagnosed with cancer was the best thing to ever happen to me. It changed my perspective on life. I don’t sweat the small stuff, what I’m there for, I’m there for it.”
Oreagba added that the experience taught him to prioritise family and to value true friendships.
“From the moment I was diagnosed with cancer in February 2014 – it’s an incurable form of cancer, so, your priorities change. You don’t know how much time you’ve got, you line up your list of priorities. For me, 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 I’m not about to – since I’ve been crowned King of Steeze – I’m not about to just go like that anytime soon.
“I was a senior executive at the Exchange back in early 2000s, and prior to that, let’s say I had five million friends, right? When I left the Exchange in 2010, my five million friends went down to one million, you know how it is. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, my one million went down to a hundred.
“So, it’s very important, that’s a very important lesson. So it’s important that what you take from that – you hold your friends close, keep your feet, you know ten toes down all the time, be yourself, as long as I don’t hurt anybody.”
Oreagba wants to keep raising awareness about cancer
The 58-year-old said that since his battle with cancer since 2014, he is committed to counselling cancer patients, raising awareness about the disease through marathons and pushing for better healthcare.
“I’m very passionate about getting the cancer message across. Some of you may know I run marathons to raise money for cancer charities, just to give people hope, because I know how much it meant to me when I was really feeling the pain, and one or two people just gave me that hope,” he said.
‘I’ve had tattoos for years’ - Oreagba
One of the prominent features that drew attention to Oreagba during the Ojude Oba Festival is his visible arm tattoos. He said his tattoos are symbolic but covers them when in corporate settings.
Oreagba said, “People talk about my tats, I’ve had tats for years. I’m very particular about it, I try and make sure I don’t have a tat on my face, my sleeves, I cover them when I’m on corporate mode.
“I’ve got tattoos everywhere, just to assure you. If you can read that one, it says ‘I live each day as if it were my last, so don’t judge me,’ ‘Carpe Diem,’ that says ‘Only God can judge me.’ I’ve got my kids up here, I got another son up here. I mentioned when I had so many friends, I’ve got ‘Ride or Die,’ you can see it there.”
Oreagba is a big player in investment banking, capital market
TheRadar had reported that Oreagba has a towering career in the capital markets, deal origination, business development and strategy, and investment banking sectors of Nigeria.
A highlight is his appointment as the MD/CEO of NG Clearing in September 2023, having previously worked at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, (now Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), among other places.
