Farooq Oreagba, the managing director of NG Clearing and a former member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s Derivatives Product Advisory Committee, has said that being diagnosed with cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him since it had given him reasons to reevaluate his objectives in life.
Speaking on Sunday’s Arise TV Morning Show, Oreagba, who had eyes turning his way at the 2024 Ijude Oba festival, the Ijebu people’s annual celebration in Ogun State, he said that despite his incurable form of multiple myeloma, he is passionate about giving other cancer patients hope.
Oreagba stated “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.”
In an effort to offer people hope, he made some revelations that he runs marathons to raise money for cancer causes.
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.
Oreagba went on to speak on how, in spite of his condition, he has been able to find fulfillment and keep his fulfillment.
“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.”
Oreagba also spoke about how having a cancer diagnosis made him feel less friends.
“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.”
When asked about his tattoos, he said they were not curated for the sake of Ojude Oba event since they were deeply meaningful to him and he had had them for years.
“People talk about my tattoos; I’ve had tats for years, and I’m very particular about them. I try to make sure that I don’t have a tattoo on my face and that my sleeves are down when I’m in corporate mode.
“Here’s the famous tattoo,” he said, showing his arm, “it says, ‘I live each day as if it were my last. So don’t judge me.’ That says, ‘Only God can judge me,’ he said.
He went on to say that he had more tattoos for his children, some of which represented times in his life when he was very popular. “Ride or die is what I have.” These have been there for years; they were not carefully chosen.
When talking about the importance of the Ojude Oba, Oreagba referred to it as a multi generational family custom that demonstrates their identity and heritage.
“Ojude Oba has evolved over the years; I’ve been doing it for 15 years. Within my family, the Oreagba family, my grandfather was the main rider going back to the 1960s; he died in 1967, so we only had one rider. My uncle took over, and he was the main rider from ’67 to ’84.
“It’s a family affair; it’s not about one individual, and it’s a very expensive venture,”
He added that planning had started for the event’s upcoming year and that he views it as a unifying activity that brings families together.
