Big Brother Naija: This was life before BBNaija for Laycon, Nengi, Erica, and other Big Brother Naija housemates [photos]

Now that the Big brother Naija competition is more than a few weeks in, a lot of the Big Brother Naija housemates have started to show off their talents and gained more notoriety. 

However, before the BBNaija show, many of these Big Brother Naija housemates had exciting lives (obviously) that they were somewhat happy with. But what exactly do you know about these housemates’ life before BBNaija?

Some of them, like Laycon, have done their best to aggressively promote the hustle and show off what they are made of, while others have not been quite as vocal.

For example, did you know that TrikyTee has a number of released songs? You would not know, because he has never spoken about this within the Big Brother Naija house.

On the other hand, Laycon has spoken extensively about his music, which he has described as the most important thing to him. Similarly, Tolanibaj also speaks about her YouTube channel, her career in music, and her plans for her post-BBNaija life.

In this article, we are giving you an inside look into your favourite Big brother Naija housemates’ lives before their time in the house.

1. Nengi

Before she entered the Big brother Naija house, Nengi had garnered some fame for herself. She was a beauty queen who had participated in several beauty pageants, including the 2017 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant.

Nengi loves to learn new things, having fun, travelling, taking on new adventures, and being true to herself. She studied communications at the University of Port Harcourt and is proud of the fact that she was able to graduate.

Nengi is a Capricorn and declares: “If you want the job done right, give it to a Capricorn. I give 110% of my energy and enthusiasm into everything I do.”

Check out some photos of her as a beauty queen below:

2. Erica

Twenty-six-year-old Ngozi ‘Erica’ Nlewedim is a model and actress from London. she studied screen acting at the Met Film School in London.

Erica is most proud of graduating from the film school in London, producing her first short film with a team in Birmingham, and being in the movie, Hire a Woman, which is currently showing on Netflix.

Erica also participated in the 2014 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant where she was a fan favourite and won the award for the most photogenic.

As an actress and model, Erica has also graced a number of billboards nationwide, modelling for top brands. See some of her throwback pictures below:

3. Laycon

Olamilekan ‘Laycon’ Agbeleshe is a 26-year-old singer and rapper from Lagos.

He is a graduate of philosophy from the University of Lagos who started his musical journey at an early age and has now emerged as one of Nigeria’s most promising new school acts.

He has described himself as being versatile and able to coin words together to soothe any kind of scenario and mood. Once the housemates first got into the house, Laycon inspired a lot of curiosity.

He even became the first housemate to be verified on Instagram among all the housemates.

Check out some of his songs below:

4. Tolanibaj

Tolanibaj is a 27-year-old media personality who describes herself as an energetic and gingered babe.

During the ‘Get to Know Me’ session, she revealed she recently moved back to Nigeria, got a job at a music entertainment company, and that she’s YouTuber.

She is also proud of the fact that she got a job at one of Nigeria’s leading music entertainment companies within four months of relocating from America.

Check out some of her vlogs below:

5. Prince

Prince Nelson Enwerem is a 24-year-old multi-talented model, fashion designer, and interior decorator from Abia State. He was also the 2018 winner of the Mr Nigeria competition and represented Nigeria at Mr World.

Prince Nelson is also a graduate of pure physics from the University of Calabar.

Check out some of his pictures as a contestant for the pageant below:

6. Brighto

Contrary to the hilarious stories going about calling Brighto a pastor or a religious personality, he is actually a 29-year-old sailor from Edo State.

He bagged a degree in Marine Engineering from Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria, Egypt alongside several other professional certifications.

He has also had a short stint in the aviation sector. He considers himself an avid entertainment lover and a people’s person.

7. Kiddwaya

27-year-old Kiddwaya used to be quite chubby so the fact that he got into health and fitness is his greatest achievement.

Kiddwaya’s real name is Terseer Kidd Waya. His father, Terry Waya, is a successful businessman and a billionaire based in the UK. His mother, Susan Waya, is an entrepreneur, business analyst, activist and politician.

He is the CEO of Valley Agriculture and Foods Company, an Agro-Business. He is also the co-founder of AK Exports, a company that deals in exporting activities.

Related: Kiddwaya Biography: Family, early life, age, career, BBNaija

Before he got into the Big Brother Naija house, he was quite the fitness fanatic and he did not hesitate to show off his physique and his fitness regimen on his Instagram page.

Check out some pictures and photos of him before the house:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC2qaI1AnsC/?utm_source=ig_embed

8. Praise

Praise is 28 years old and he is a dancer, but he is much more than you think. While some people have danced one or two times at a dancing competition, Praise has actually won some prizes.

He was a winner at the K-Pop World Festival, South Korea 2015 and won third place at a national Dance Competition in 2010. He is also a certified Latin Ballroom expert.

Of course, fans of the show know that Praise Nelson is also a stripper as he has said constantly on the show. He currently owns a company through which he provides his services.

9. Vee

Like Laycon, Victoria ‘Vee’ Adeyele is also a singer and has released a few songs under the stage name, Vee Iye. Almost a year ago, Vee moved to Lagos from London to start a career in music.

She has already made great strides, performing at the 2019 Palmwine festival.

Check out some of her songs below:

10. Trikytee

Of course, you don’t know, because he has never talked about it, but TrikyTee also has a number of songs out there. Timmy Sinclair is a 35-year-old Lagos resident who uses film and music to express himself.

It is no secret that he led the housemates to their first wager win through the beautiful play that they put on. Well, he is not new to the art of directing.

During his NYSC days, he won the award for the best director at the cultural and sports festival in Abuja 2013 for the best stage drama.

Check out some of his songs below:

11. Neo

Emuobonuvie ‘Neo’ Akpofure is a 26-year-old from Delta State. Neo has been very vocal both before and during the show about his job as a cab-hailing driver before his time in the Big Brother Nigeria house.

Although Neo describes himself as fun, tolerant, loving and smart, he also won’t take things lying down with respect to issues concerning bullying and inequality.

12. Ozo

Ozo is a 27-year-old entrepreneur and consultant from Imo State. Before the house, he spent all of his time working, analyzing football matches and watching TV shows and documentaries.

He also owns an urban fashion clothing line. Ozo has said that his proudest moment pre-BBNaija house was working with a UEFA in Europe.

13. Dorathy

Dorathy is a 24-year-old entrepreneur from Lagos State who, while she is in the house, wants to be the only one who makes you smile. For many of her fans, she seems to be doing so.

For Dorathy, her biggest achievement pre-BBNaija has not even happened yet. She wants to set up ShopForMe, which she wants to grow to become the largest procurement company in Nigeria.

14. Kaisha

Aisha ‘Kaisha’ Umaru is considered quite eccentric by housemates and the viewers of BBNaija. Kaisha is a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Sokoto state who says she gets along with people.

She is also the proud owner of a skincare line. In fact, Kaisha revealed that finishing her skincare line was the proudest moment for her.

15. Lucy

Lucy Essien is a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Lagos who believes in fairy tales. Lucy has had a lot of reasons to be proud of herself in her life.

Her proudest moments are setting up her grill business, getting into the Big Brother Naija house, graduating with a second class upper degree and not falling pregnant after all these years.

16. Wathoni

Florence Wathoni Anyansi is a 29-year-old fashion entrepreneur. She is a single mother who juggles a fashion business and a parenting blog.

Wathoni is also bilingual and speaks and writes in Swahili fluently. Before the BBNaija house, she had achieved quite a number of things including being chosen to work in Julius Berger among graduates while she was an undergraduate.

Check out some cute pictures of Wathoni and her son below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-DVd05n_2C/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xhCFpnt9Q/?utm_source=ig_embed

17. Eric

In case you were wondering, of course, Eric’s body did not come to him without a lot of hard work. Eric Akhigbe is a 24-year-old final year student at the University of Lagos who is from Edo State.

Before he got into the house, he was a bodybuilder who is incredibly proud of his 1.95m height. He is also a fitness enthusiast.

This simply means that if you have any fitness goals to achieve, then Eric is the one for you. After all, before the house, he had helped over 100 people smash their fitness goals.

18. Ka3na

Kate ‘Ka3na’ Jones is a 26-year-old self-styled boss lady and entrepreneur from Rivers state in Nigeria.

She has described herself as a strong woman who wants more from life. Her dream is to be famous and own the biggest luxury fashion brand in the world.

Prior to going for the 2020 BBNaija Lockdown show, Ka3na had travelled to several places all over the world, whether by herself or with her daughter.

She has even said on the show that she was once gifted a diamond, so maybe the term ‘boss lady’ is not so self-styled after all.

See pictures of Ka3na’s travels as well as pictures of her daughter below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBGEyDvjCCg/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDA9N4mDCLU/

19. Lilo

Boluwatife ‘Lilo’ Aderogba is a 23-year-old dietitian from Lagos, Nigeria. Lilo, as she prefers to be known, is also an entrepreneur and describes herself as “a product of God’s grace”.

Before going into the Big Brother Nigeria house, Lilo started a fashion brand called Lilo’s Closet. While Lilo said that she had a boyfriend before she got into the Big Brother Nigeria house, she did not act that way with fellow contestant, Eric.

Either way, it is unknown if her relationship is still going strong as she and Eric have gone their separate ways.

20. Tochi

Tochukwu ‘Tochi’ Okechukwu is a 28-year-old rapper and real estate agent from Imo state. He describes himself as someone who is obsessed with entertainment.

Besides his real estate career, it is unknown if he engaged in other ventures or took to YouTube to share videos from his other life, which is rap and the entertainment lifestyle. Whatever it is that Tochi wants to do after the show, now he has the chance to do it.

Conclusion

Although Big Brother Naija housemates go into the house with a different personality and certain goals, sometimes, they do change their tracks and do other things. Other times, they can also expand on what they were doing before their fame and achieve so much more.

Either way, it will be incredibly exciting to see what these Big Brother Naija housemates get up to after their time in the house. Will they go the path of Tobi Bakre who, after his time in the house became an all-round entertainer, branching into photography, influencing and acting.

Is it possible, also, that some Big Brother Naija housemates will tow the path of Miracle, who disappeared from the public scene after his win in 2018, and promptly went to flying school in America to achieve his dreams?

Nothing is certain and for now, we can only enjoy the show, wait for the winner of the show, and see what they will do with their lives when it is all over.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts below and tell us which of these Big Brother Naija housemates is your favourite and which new fact you’ve learnt about them.