‘Things I Can No Longer Do’ – GUS 8 Winner, Christopher Okagbue

GUS 8 winner shares his experience

If you do not expect to see Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde hopping on commercial motorcycles as a constant form of transportation or award-winning singer, 2 Face checking his e-mail at a cyber café all the time, then it would prove wise not to expect the Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) 8 winner, Christopher Okagbue to do a lot of things he usually would have done prior to his emergence as the ‘Ultimate Man.’

In this interview, Okagbue reveals certain things he can no longer do, the challenges of being a millionaire, things he has been up to lately as well as his plans for the not-so-distant future.

Excerpts:

How do you feel when fans and loved ones call you the Ultimate Man and the many new names you have acquired since you won GUS 8?

The names make me feel good especially the name, ‘Ultimate Man.’ Some even call me ‘Ultimate’ and I really feel great about it because I know that less than a year ago, I was Christopher the model and it’s always good when you add something new.

We know for a fact that between the moment when you won GUS 8 and now, a whole lot of things must have changed so tell us about some of those things that have changed about you.

Before GUS 8, I was a hustler though a great part of me still is. I’m a go-getter. I go out there and get stuff. I was in search of a platform to showcase a whole lot of what I had to offer and that’s what GUS 8 did for me. Now, I could be sitting in the comfort of my home and my phone begins to buzz with people who want me to get things done for them. I now associate myself with people in the society that I never thought I could come close to.

I must state at this point that I don’t joke with my friends despite all that has changed. These were people who were there for me before I became the Ultimate Man and are still there for me right now. They were the ones who encouraged me. They were the ones who even pushed me to apply for the show. For this reason, I hold them close to my heart because there are a whole lot of fake people out there – people who just want to get close to you because of what they can get from you. The money is the only thing such people are interested in and I thank God for making me smart enough to spot such people when I see them.

I am a very nice person and naturally, a lot of people get tempted to abuse this and try to take advantage of it. Before now, I used to be so nice that it was a problem I had. My ex-girlfriend once told me that I’m so nice and that I do not k now how to say ‘no.’ A lot of my real friends know that they can get whatever they want from me but they even find it difficult asking until I get to discover that what they need is something I could easily have given them. These are the kind of friends that I need to have around me because with them, I cannot get carried away and I still remain humble.

We have spoken to beauty queens in the past and we know that the moment they become queens, there are a whole lot of things they cannot do, a lot of places they can no longer go to and all of that. Has this also worked out for you in the same way? Do you now find yourself not being able to do a lot of things you would have naturally loved to do?

There are quite a number of places that I cannot go to today; not because of anything but because of the brand that I represent and the kind of responsibilities that I have been saddled with. I am now a role model for the brand and there are things I can no longer do as an ambassador.

Back in the days, I could come out into the streets and play football wearing just my boxer shorts because football is a sport that I love but I cannot necessarily do that right now. If I want to play football now, I might as well buy a standard soccer kit, get a good jersey and go to a standard football pitch and play. I can even take my friends along. Things are just a little different but these are not rules and regulations that have been stipulated anywhere but I know within me that as a brand ambassador, there are certain things that I know are not proper and do not do or get involved in.

I saw you at a charity event in the last quarter of 2011. Do you attend a lot of events like that?

The event was actually for Uti Nwachukwu; the winner of Big Brother All Star. It was a charity event and he invited me to be a part of it and I decided it was a good idea to give back to the society. I also had my own event later on. We went to an orphanage. I called on a few of the former GUS champions who were available at that time and we did that. Apart from that one, we had other events but I’m not the kind of person who believes in letting the world know about things I do especially those that have to do with giving back the society. Personally, I even feel it is those ones that people do not get to hear about that gets you the most blessings from God. From time to time, I do stuff for the widows on a low key.

I am presently working on a youth awareness show targeted basically at the youths. Knowledge is power as they say. Most people do not even know the chances that they have. The truth is that if you don’t know the weapon you have, you won’t know how to use it. We want to help them see that there more to life than the four walls of a classroom and to do this, we would be looking at music, entertainment, sports and other channels. For now, it’s still in the pipeline. It’s targeted to kick-off towards the end of the year.

Looking ahead to the years after handing over to a new champion, precisely what would you pursue as a career?

GUS 8 has helped me break into the entertainment industry and since my passion is music, I’ll be going into the music business. Right now, I’m acting. I am on Tinsel and I am in a lot of home movies. I am in people’s faces and I have a lot of jobs that are coming up. Since this is what I’ve always wanted to do, I am going to use my position as the Ultimate man as a stepping stone.

You would agree with us that being the Ultimate Man has opened a whole lot of doors for you in terms of opportunities but you would also agree that another door that has opened up, which you might not have bargained for is girls. Now that you have girls who want to be around you all the time, how do you handle that?

I have always had more female friends than male friends. After GUS 8, the number increased drastically. The funny thing was that I was expecting it and that was the reason I was able to handle it better. I also prepared myself for it. As time went by, I also found a way around it without sounding rude. It is not so easy but at the same time, it is not so hard. I grew up around women. I have four sisters so I know how to handle them.

What is your favourite fashion accessory?

That would have to be a leather wristwatch.

Who is your favourite artiste?

My favourite international artiste is Chris Brown. For my favourite Nigerian artiste, there are two of them and I can’t drop with either because they are the acts who do what I love in Nigerian music. They are Darey Art Alade and Banky W.

Who is your favourite actor in Hollywood?

I don’t have a favourite actor because they are all so good, it’s hard to choose one.

If there was one thing you could change about the world right now, what would it be?

I wish the world would be a global village in the real sense of it where everyone would see each other as one. That way, we would fight each other less and kill each other less. I would have loved to be able to unify the world.

By Samod Biobaku

simplysamad@yahoo.com

@simplysamad