#BBNaijaShineYaEye Finalists are The Sassy Six on the Cover of ThisDay Style’s Latest Edition

I intended to engage a larger audience so that I could gain a stance on financial stability because there are things I can do other than dance. It encompasses communicating literary thoughts, persuasive oratory, building and managing a conglomerate, music, film making, acting, and so on. They’re just a lot.

Despite my versatility, I believe the world knew me for just dancing, so I jumped at the chance to change the narrative by doing and achieving more in the industry. When I say “doing more,” I mean in all of its ramifications, music, acting, writing scripts, poetry, entertainment, and art in a broad sense.

However, I desired a financial balance so that I could consider going into other businesses, as well as a socially progressive environment in which I could publicly express my thoughts, rediscover hidden potentials, and demonstrate my brilliance, which is why I chose Big Brother Naija platform.

What are the challenges you faced while in the house, and what did you learn living with complete strangers with diverse personalities?

I didn’t really seem to have a challenge in the house, except that for a while, I was a bit curled up in my shell, I was somewhat introverted before getting into the Big Brother House, and so I learned to interact and engage with people, and living in a house like that, with relative strangers, I realized that people are different, with different perspective and thoughts, but then l realized one ought to think rationally in line with them, and as such, have a clear grasp.

You did a task on mental health in the house. Tell us three major things you learnt about mental health?

First and foremost, communication. Communication has impacted both within and outside of our intent. Secondly, we must all learn to forgive those who have mistreated us and made us vulnerable to a variety of depressing or traumatic situations. However, you should be deliberate about forgiving yourself and moving on.

Consequently, you must recognize your remarkable strength and make yourself a top priority. Be aware of life’s stressors and the folks who are out to bring you down.

Acknowledge your imperfections and strengths while having to accept that you are an individual who is susceptible to falling short. Finally, believing in oneself is a true component of self-love, which can be discovered through daily declarations, mental discipline, emotional intelligence, and big speeches.

Who is your favourite dancer, and how has person influenced your career as a dancer and why?

A-To be candid, so many dancers from all over the world have inspired me. Laura Gibson, Dr Kaffy Shafau, and others have influenced me. I can’t forget about my crew: E4ma, Ellaley, Pocolee, and so on.

Aside from these people, it’s worth noting that I’m constantly inspired by new dancers that keep me going. Also, there are artists whose dance moves impress me. They are Michael Jackson, Ciara, Aliya, and Beyoncé. 

What is your greatest fear in life?

I’d say procrastination because we all intend to do things in life but never get around to doing them. I title it “The Evils of Procrastination” because it is my greatest fear. As such, the more we procrastinate, the less we accomplish.

Pere Egbi (2nd Runner up)

When you came out of the house, you said you love Mariah and said you also love your girlfriend. Is it possible to love two women at the same time, or was it just cruise talk?

There’s nothing about me that screams cruise. Mariah is a very adorable person. I love her personality and admire what she represents. While in the house, I found her very engaging, delectable, energetic, and intriguing. She’s amazing.

What motivated you to take part in the BBNaija Season 6?

I had been an actor for years before Big Brother; I auditioned to take my acting career to the next level.

Tell us about being one of the ‘Wild Card’. Was it a burden scaling through and making it to the finals?

Being a wild card was quite a burden as much as it was also fun. Only because I had to get in the heads of my fellow housemates, figure out what they were thinking, and used it to form my own strategy, ensuring I remained undetected until Big Brother gave me out.

Scaling through to the finals was honestly something I didn’t see coming. But it was exhilarating to witness.

Who were your favourite housemates, and what fond memory do you have of them?

Sasky was my favourite housemate in the house because of her high level of intelligence, maturity, and great composure. I remember sitting by the garden one day, and we were all having a conversation about the history of colonization and why it happened.

Her inputs were by far very informative and you could tell she knew a lot. During our group tasks, she showed unrivalled intellectualism for a 21-year-old. I’ve got mad respect.

Another favourite housemate is Cross. Though we only got to really know each other towards the end of the show, it’s been worth it. Cross has great energy and we both discovered we have so many things in common. He is a good guy.

Last year in Biggie’s house, we saw the ‘Bromance’ between Ozo and Neo; they were referred to as the ‘Apple Boys’. This year, it was you and Cross and you guys were referred to as the ‘Pineapple boys’. But the viewers didn’t see this ‘Bromance’ coming. At what stage precisely did you and Cross realize the depth of your friendship?

At the beginning of the show, I remember I kept my distance from Cross because I didn’t understand him. He also told me later that he didn’t like me then because he didn’t understand me. But as things progressed and people left, we started talking and as we talked, we started seeing how many things we had in common.

He found out how cool I was, I saw how really easy-going he was and we connected as Cancer men. He’s such a great guy. Almost like you can see through him like glass. I love my brother. Gringo loves Cross and the boss loves Gringo right back. Gringo is my alter ego, just like the boss is his alter ego.

Cross Ike aka Cross Da Boss (3rd Runner up) 

You are an established, focused young man with some business chains and probably didn’t need the Big Brother Naija platform, so what was your aim of going to Biggie’s house?

I went to Biggie’s house to create an identity for me and tell the world my story. To show people that no matter how much adversity you have faced in life, you can always turn things around with faith and perseverance. I also wanted to correct the stereotypes some people had of me, I wanted to define myself in my own way and allow people to relate to me for who I am.

Tell us about your family. Is it true that your dad was assassinated and how did you all cope after your dad’s demise?

This is a very deep and personal story to me. My family sought asylum outside the country after the assassination of my dad and a lot of things went wrong. My Mum was still a young and uneducated woman, so it was difficult handling the situation, my siblings and I all at the same time.

Our family lawyers duped us off my father’s wealth, and some of the relatives wanted to marry my mother off immediately.  You see, my Mum is the strongest woman I know. She did everything in her power to safeguard us and brought us up into the people we all are today.

The story is really deep; I think I will make a movie about myself and all that happened soon, so people can relate and understand all we went through. As the first son, I had to make sacrifices for my siblings to go further than me in their endeavours. I thank God my situation didn’t get the best of me. I am a living example of God’s faithfulness.

You love to dance, you are flirty, you are flighty, you love people and that’s why Biggie nicknamed you life of the party. With such a personality, how does a woman you like know when you’re serious about a relationship?

That is very simple. I am serious and very committed when I am in a relationship. I will always be with you, support you in all you do, speak about you to my family and treat your family as mine too. If Cross falls in love, trust me, she wouldn’t need to ask, “Do you love me?” She will see it every day, less talk, more action.

Tell us some of the challenges you faced while in the Big Brother house and was there any time you felt like leaving?

People don’t really ask this question. Being in a confined space with strangers can mess with your mind. You won’t know how to react, and all, plus you have to be very accommodating of every housemate and their behaviour. I won’t lie, when I first came into the house, in the first 1-2 weeks, I felt like leaving, but I slowly found my feet and blended accordingly.

My biggest challenge was the food. I am very selective of the things I eat, I am allergic to fish, plus I don’t eat Swallow, hence I had to make do with noodles for the most part and one of my favourite food “Pizza” was not readily available in the house.

If you are made the Nigeria President, what are the three major rules you will implement to move the country forward?

I don’t think I will add a lot to the already existing laws; rather, there are so many things that can be implemented in better ways. Firstly, I will bring about a better security structure aimed at protecting the people and not extorting or killing them. I will also bring employment for the millions of unemployed people and lastly, good roads. It will be intense, but I think we seriously need to fix our roads. These three sectors: security, infrastructure development and jobs, need urgent attention.

Angel Agnes Smith (4th Runner up)

What motivated you to take part in the BBNaija Season 6?

Nothing really motivated me. I was figuring my life out and thought it was a good idea to audition.

How do you intend to use the platform to better your life and to impact your immediate environment and the youths of Nigeria?

I intend to use the platform to make my life better by connecting with the right people that can put me in the right places. As for the youths of Nigeria, I spoke about my mental health project, and I believe they’ll benefit from it.

You spoke a lot about your parents not being there for you and how your grandmother used to beat you. Were you truly abandoned by your parents as a child because a lot of times, some housemates just tell stories in the house as part of their content?

They were not really present, and I had to adult on my own pretty quickly.

While in the house, you kept on talking about mental health and your mental health. Tell us about your situation and what led to it?

I struggled mentally for the longest time, from being bullied by teachers in high school to losing my boyfriend at the age of 19. A lot of factors made my mental health decline.

In the history of BBNAIJA, there has never been a finale for six housemates. How do you feel making it to the finals in such controversial circumstances, especially with people thinking Biggie was partial?

I’m grateful that Biggie gave Pere and I the opportunity to earn our spot in the finale.

Emmanuel Umoh (5th Runner up) 

You made a statement in the house that you are just like Boma outside of the house. Could you please tell us what you meant by that?

Boma is an exceptional model who has conquered not just the runway world but the fashion world as a whole. And that’s pretty much me outside the house.

What motivated you to take part in the BBNaija Season 6?

Every phase of my life has been a stage where I take necessary steps to better my life as an entrepreneur and career as a model and improve generally. I realized I got to a point where I needed to take another step and the BBNaija has just the platform I needed, so I went for it.

What are the lessons you learned, co-habiting with strangers in the BBNAIJA house?

I learned a couple of things in the house. One is that everyone is unique and talented, another is that opinions are meant to be respected, especially when teamwork is involved, and patience is a virtue.

What is your greatest fear in life? 

That would be not being worthy and losing relevance. From an early age, I have been taught that it is important to grow in life and help make a difference in the world and I have always wanted to do just that hence the reason I launched my Ime foundation.

So not adding value to lives would be the worst thing and of course, my biggest fear is being or staying average. I have always wanted to be exceptional. And hence why I work so hard to stand out and make a difference in the world.

If you were Nigeria’s President, what are three important rules you would make to move the country forward?

Equal pay for both men and women.

Free and Quality education; not paying for textbooks for primary and secondary school students.

Free and quality health care at Public health centres. The health budget would be a priority.

Read the complete issue on ThisDay Style.