Businessman Farooq Oreagba, popularly known as “Mr Steeze,” has revealed that he was a dollar millionaire at 30 but became a labourer in England five years later after losing his job as a banker.

Oreagba disclosed during an appearance on the MENtality show, hosted by media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and co-hosted by singer Banky W, which focused on wealth, materialism, and life priorities.

Using a hypothetical scenario, Oreagba challenged Ebuka on the value people place on money.

“How much is money to you? Give me a number. Just pick a number. A billion dollars?” he asked.

When Ebuka said he was not seeking satisfaction from money, Oreagba followed up with another question.

“If I gave you $10 million now, what would you say?”

Ebuka responded jokingly, “What would I say? I would call you from Miami to thank you.”

Oreagba then asked whether he would still accept the money if it meant having only 24 hours left to live.

“If I told you you can have it, but not live more than 24 hours, what would you do?” he asked.

Ebuka replied, “I mean, I could make $10 million, so it’s not worth it.”

Reflecting on the exchange, Oreagba explained how his own experience changed his perspective on wealth.

“Right. So then all of a sudden, living actually has a lot of value to it. I was a dollar millionaire at 30. At 35, I was working as a labourer,” he said.

Asked where he worked as a labourer, Oreagba replied, “In England.”

He said his fortunes changed after he lost his banking job while pursuing another dream.

“I had a dream, something I wanted to do, and I lost my job as a banker. And to maintain that lifestyle, I was hustling, doing all kinds of things, but nobody saw it. The Porsches were still outside. I had my priorities wrong,” he said.

Oreagba noted that the experience reshaped his outlook on life, arguing that people often place too much importance on money and social status while neglecting health and relationships.

“I’m going to be 60 next month, and my lifestyle has not changed. All that has happened is a viral photo brought me to everybody’s attention,” he said.

He added, “We place value on the wrong things. I’ve said this before: you may have 99 problems, but the minute you have a health problem, you only have one problem.”