- NCAC has awarded Farooq Oreagba, Ojude Oba’s ‘King of Steeze,’ with an ambassadorial honour
- Despite maintaining a low social profile, Oreagba boasts of an illustrious career in the financial services sector
- Following his decade-long ordeal with cancer, Oreagba said he lives every day like his last and learnt to prioritise family
It is raining recognition for Farooq Oreagba, who was the cynosure of all eyes at the recent 2024 Ojude Oba Festival and subsequently crowned ‘King of Steeze.’
Oreagba has been named an honorary ambassador of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) for “his boundless energy and spirit” and for representing “all that is good about Nigeria.”
Director-General of the NCAC, Obi Asika, announced the honorary award on his Instagram page on Tuesday, July 9 and displayed the Certificate of Recognition awarded to Oreagaba.
Asika wrote, “I could not be happier to announce him as an Hon Ambassador for the National Council for Arts and Culture @ncac_nigeria and celebrate him and his boundless energy and spirit.
“He is now the King of Steeze and brought global attention to #OjudeOba, the key traditional festival of Ijebu Ode celebrating the Awujale.
“For at least the last decade he has been getting on his horse, dressed in magnificent asoke and representing his family and culture.
“We discussed what made this year different and why the reaction, was it the photographer, was it the festival or was it just God’s time, I believe it was just meant to be.
“My brother is a fighter, diagnosed with terminal cancer he has been fighting it for a decade and never been anything but positive.
“He has been an inspiration to we his friends and now we are sharing him to the world. He represents all that is good about Nigeria. Pls celebrate him, a true Nigerian original!
“I know he is braver than almost anyone I know from the way he confronts his pain and has always repped Naija since I have known him. Congrats again and thanks for all you do.”
Oreagba is a big player in finance sector
TheRadar had reported that Oreagba caught the attention of many, especially on social media, following his elegant display of class and style at the colourful 2024 Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Oreagba became the darling of many lenses at the festival and earned ‘King of Steeze’ at the festival as he donned a stylish lemon and green-coloured agbada and Sokoto, matching fila, red coral beads, a Cuban cigar caught between his index and middle left fingers, sunglasses 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.
He is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NG Clearing Limited, having been appointed in September 2023. During his time at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (now Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), he served as a member of the Derivatives Product Advisory Committee (PAC) and Head, Strategy and Business Development Directorate.
While at the NGX, Oreagba spearheaded the introduction of new products such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), shaping the NGX’s strategy, creating new indices that presently serve as the basis for derivative products like writing rules for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and organising roadshows for listed and non-listed companies.
‘I live every day like it’s my last’ - Oreagba
Being a cancer survivor, Oreagba said he lives every day like it is his last following his ordeal with multiple myeloma (bone marrow) cancer which he was diagnosed with in February 2014.
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 a recent interview with Arise News.
He said, “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.”
Farooq Oreagba says his tattoos are symbolic
One prominent feature that drew attention to Oreagba during the Ojude Oba Festival is his visible arm tattoos. He said his tattoos are symbolic, but he 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.”
Ojude Oba and 9 other colourful festivals in Nigeria
Meanwhile, TheRadar had reported that Nigerian festivals are not only celebrations but also a striking presentation of the nation’s rich cultural heritage, from vibrant dances and communal showcases to gorgeous traditional costumes and food exhibitions.
Ijebu-Ode Ogun State recently came agog with colour, rhythm and a deep sense of community in celebration of the Ojude Oba festival at the Oba Sikiru Adetona’s frontage, as one of the many other colourful festivals in Nigeria.
