‘I Knew Nothing Could Stop Me From Winning’ – Mr. Nigeria

By Osagie Alonge

The third edition of the Silverbird Mr. Nigeria competition, held at the Silverbird Galleria saw multimedia specialist, Deji Bakare emerge as the winner of the keenly contested event, beating 15 other contestants for the highly coveted title.

In this interview with NET, the new Mr. Nigeria, who will be representing the country at the Mr. World contest, spoke on various issues. Enjoy!

Have you always dreamt of being here or was it an overnight decision for you?

I won’t say yes or no, but I was working out in the gym when I came across the form, filled it and entered into the competition.

Would you say you had enough influence and motivation while growing up to have gotten you here?

Yeah! I had a proper upbringing.

What was your focus and target while getting prepared for this competition, did you just want to be part of it or did you already have a certain level of assurance that you were going to win this competition?

If I stepped up to Mr. President and had a handshake with him, I knew nothing could stop me from winning the most coveted title of being Mr. Nigeria. I guess part of Mr. President’s “Good luck” rubbed off on me.

So what did you do differently from the other contestants that got you the crown?

I believed, dreamt it and knew I was going to win it.

Do you think the competition presented a fair enough and standard level playing ground for all the contestants?

We all know that when it comes to this kind of competition nobody better than the Bruce family can handle it; the level playing ground was very fair.

What has winning the contest changed about your person, attitude and level of confidence?

I’m just an ordinary person with an incredible dream that decided to act on it, so changing my person I will say NO, but I just keep dreaming and acting.

What are you going to do differently as the present Mr. Nigeria that your predecessors haven’t done?

Mr. Nigeria is an office I occupy; I am going to leave it better than I met.

Being a power pusher, to what extent do you consider using steroids and how much of it do you think should be used?

I will advice against steroids I think multi-vitamins will do.

Come next year, you’ll be handing over your crown to a new Mr. Nigeria, what legacy do you hope to pass along to your successor?

The dream of being, ‘Most Incredible’.

Now that you are Mr. Nigeria, how do you manage the increase of women who crave for your attention and want a little of your time?

If you spend your time chasing women you will lose the dream but if you focus on the dream the women come with the package.

As the Mr. Nigeria and considering the ratio of the female folk to the male folk in Nigeria, will you consider giving more than one girl a chance in your life? (If no, why?)

I’m a man of many abilities but I believe in one man and one woman.

Before Mr. Nigeria, what was your daily schedule like and what is it like now as Mr. Nigeria?

My daily schedule was embedded in my daily routine but now my whole routine is a lot busier and packed full.

Are you still able to balance your life alongside your obligations fairly?

Yeah! Because life is a state of mind.

What do you think worked for you the most in the competition, was it your Style, looks, Swag or Oration?

Everything you can think but most especially the backing of the Almighty God.

If as Mr. Nigeria you have the power to make just one thing work in this country, what will that be?

Make every mind positive and patriotic.

What percentage of honesty and sincerity do you think a guy should exhibit in a relationship?

100 percent

Managing your relationship and Obligations, which comes first for you now?

My relationship comes first, because I need my relationship to be stable to handle my obligations.

When you’re no longer Mr. Nigeria, who will you be, your old self or a totally new personality?

Me, Myself and I.

When you were announced winner of the competition, some other contestants said you weren’t worth the title, what can you say to their claim?

Every contestant had the right to their opinion.

What’s your take on girls multiple dating against guys multiple dating, who do you consider more justifiable in this act?

It is not morally right.