Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu, also known as Pretty Mike, is often misunderstood because of his shocking actions at public functions. But behind the facade is a personality who loves to entertain and empower humanity. In this interview with SHADE METIBOGUN, he speaks about the controversies surrounding his person and why he is often misunderstood.
You received a Master’s degree a few weeks ago, how does it feel and what informed the decision to go back to school?
I think we should all strive to increase our level of education daily. We should all strive to learn more, irrespective of the knowledge we may have acquired. These days, people have put education on the back burner. We keep forgetting that as humans, we need to keep increasing our knowledge. I am passionate about increasing my knowledge as much as I can, despite my busy schedule and the celebrity lifestyle I live. I try as much as possible to improve on myself. Now that education has been made easy, you can easily go online and apply to study. It was a short online course and it was at my own pace.
Recently, you attended Sandra Iheuwa’s wedding in the company of a traditional medicine man. What informed the decision to do such a thing?
People who know me know that I enjoy attention. If I had gone to the wedding with a pastor or an Imam, nobody would have said anything. Are we now saying that our traditional herbalists are not normal? Are we saying they are bad or evil? People see this traditional herbalist as juju men. They are even perceived as evil, but in the real sense, they are our traditional herbalists, people who practice traditional medicine. Our society has put them in a negative perspective and I want us to stop doing that. We have good pastors and we have the bad ones. We also have traditional medicine men that are good and some that are bad. It does not automatically mean that they are all bad.
Also you were seen at Williams Uchemba’s wedding in the company of some pregnant ladies. Can you tell us why you had to do that?
I always tell people that it is important to have a voice and be able to catch people’s attention so that you can pass a particular message at the end of the day. The message I was trying to convey is that people should stop stigmatising pregnant women. In our society, pregnant women are not given opportunities to work and fend for themselves. If a pregnant woman comes here for assistance now, you will send her back to her husband. Even if she is over qualified for the job, once that stomach is shooting out, you will not want to listen to anything again. All you would be thinking is that she should go and give birth and then come back later. So, how will they work and fend for themselves? It shows that you are discriminating against her without knowing if her husband abandoned her when she was pregnant or maybe she was a rape victim. Her boyfriend might have even left her when she was pregnant. We just see pregnancy and jump into conclusion. We tend to discriminate against them. The truth of the matter is that there are so many pregnant women who have been abandoned by their husbands. For some, their husband lost their jobs. Who looks out for people like that? So, for me, I just want to create awareness, to kick start a foundation solely for pregnant women, to empower them and help them. Because we have forgotten that these people need to be empowered. That is why we have abandoned babies. You may be wondering why a lady would carry a baby for nine months and throw the baby away in the gutter. The question we should be asking is under what condition did she carry the baby for nine months? Was it through tears and agony? If such is the case, then the lady will see the baby as an agony or a curse.
A lot of people have a misconception of some of the things you do. Would you say that the way and manner you portray some of these things makes it easy for people to misunderstand you?
People are quick to judge without wanting to hear facts and figures or making necessary inquiries. That is why I am trying to portray those parts clearly to them. You see a particular thing, but you don’t want to sit down and ask questions. You just jump into conclusion. Anybody that does that is not a normal human being. Such a person is not mature. Once you are thinking in that direction, it shows that you don’t have leadership qualities or skills. That is the difference between white and black people. In the developed countries, if someone comes into a gathering with a traditional medicine man, they would ask questions and make inquiries. They will first think of the positive aspect of it. But our society is different. You will think that our society is filled with intelligent people, but for lack of a better word, let me say there are many dumb people. They are quick to judge, but not quick to ask for facts and figures.
Don’t you think your messages would be best conveyed through a Non-Governmental Organisation, instead of making controversial statements at some public functions?
The thing is that there are so many foundations out there. How much attention have they got? Nigerians generally like controversy first before they can listen to you. If I had started a foundation earlier, they may even ask if I am the only one into a Non-Governmental Organisation. They like drama, chaos and anything that stands out to get their attention.
Why use women for most of your ‘drama’ and not other fascinating objects or men?
I am a big supporter of women. I am a guy. I like women a lot and I like having them around me. Using the male specie doesn’t usually convey my messages for most of my entrances. I have had one or two occasions where guys worked with me, but I use women most of the time. It is also a job opportunity for them. Everyone who has worked with me was well paid. They are happy at the end of the day. I see it as an opportunity to create employment for them. I have a lot of people who send messages that they want to use my platforms to showcase themselves. I see it as an avenue for empowerment.
Some people don’t see it that way. They believe you enjoy degrading women. For instance, there was a time you had two ladies with dog collars on their necks. What was the point?
People always talk about it or try to bring it up. That was my first stunt. It happened about four years ago. There are several messages that I try to convey. That is why I said there is nothing you do that someone wouldn’t say something negative about. Nobody would want to maltreat another person and do it openly. I do these things in the open. How do you become a ritualist and do it in public? Nobody does that in the open. It was only during the slave trade that people were maltreated openly. People should give it a benefit of doubt. They should ask questions; what is the concept, what is the idea? We are in an era where new concepts and ideas are being born every day, but if we are in a sane society, they should ask questions. Instead, people prefer to pick on something and blow it out of proportion. If it is the negative aspect, they will hold on to it. They said a lot of things then, but I tried to explain to them that it was only a show. I was vindicated eventually and they understood that it was a show. Why did it have to get to that point? People always want to look for something negative because it is what sells.
It’s obvious you love attention a lot, judging by the statements you have made over time. Don’t you think this is vain, especially for a man?
I am a child of God. God my father is the king of attention. He loves attention a lot and I am His son. So I should love attention too. Yes, that is true, I enjoy the attention. Some people think it is too much, but I don’t think it is enough. In all sincerity, it is not about the attention. What does attention do for me at the end of the day? It’s the entertainment for me. Everybody has different ways of making themselves happy. If I can come up with a concept that makes me happy, I am good. For instance, if you want to interview a personality now and the person grants you audience, it will surely make you feel good. It will make you feel like you have accomplished something that is good. As for me, the things that make me happy give me a sense of accomplishment, too. I try to find something that makes me excited. I love to wow people. It is entertainment business. You just have to learn how to entertain people on a different level. These ideas don’t come cheap. You have to sit down and be creative about it.
How do you get the boldness and courage to play all your stunts and how do you feel when you see and read what people say about you?
I am one of the people that got into social media early and I have learnt not to pay attention to what people say. One of the factors that will make you lose concentration is when you take your time and read people’s comments. I don’t do that. Even some of those people typing those things are trying to get your attention. It is the negative comments that breed attention. I also ensure I have the courage to execute what I want. If you are not bold, your creative ideas will not see the light of day.
You named your dog ‘Toke Makinwa.’ Why give a pet a human name?
When I chose that name, I told people that there are many people who bear the name. So there was nothing to it. I also checked to see if it has been copyrighted. At that time it wasn’t. So I ensured that I had the copyright to the name.
There was a time you said you are not what people see on Instagram and you are not what most people have interpreted your actions to be. So can you tell us who Pretty Mike really is?
Pretty Mike is a normal guy. I am ambivalent. I have both introverted and extroverted tendencies. I like being alone, but because of the kind of business that I do, I have to go out and mix with people. I am a fun-loving person. I like to make people happy. I like to stand out in a crowd.
Are you still nursing the idea of marrying up to five women?
Yes, sure. Is there anywhere it is written that polygamy is a bad thing? I used to tell people that it can be done. It can be accomplished. It is something I can handle psychologically, physically and financially. So why not?
Can you describe your ideal lady?
I want someone who is not too aggressive. I don’t like it when ladies talk back at me. I think it is not ladylike to shout, quarrel and talk back at people. Generally, I don’t like the aggressive type.
You run a nightclub, Club Uno. How challenging is it?
It can be very challenging. Let us put it this way, you are dealing with a high percentage of a set of people who are not in their full senses at a particular time because they may be drunk. At the same time, you have to be able to create a fan base of loyalty among them. Another challenging thing is the staff. Having people you can trust to work for you. Because I have been in the business for 14 years, I have been able to master the situation. Customer service is very important. You have to pay attention to people, listen to them. For any introvert that acts like an extrovert, it is because of the money involved. If it is what pays your bills, you keep your temperament and get to work. It is like wearing a particular personality at a given time. So I have been able to master the situation well.
For a person who runs a nightclub, can you tell us what your typical day is like?
I go to sleep at about 7 am in the morning and get up around 10 am. I sleep for like three hours every day. Even in the night time business, there are some work that has to be done in the daytime. For instance, purchasing and restocking products are done in the daytime. Planning an event must be done in the daytime. For a successful nightclub business, you have to get down to work in the daytime. Technically, a major amount of work for a successful night must be done in the daytime. Over the years, my body has been conditioned to cope with that lifestyle.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a nightclub business?
I will tell the person to learn to tolerate people. He must learn how to deal with people. Those are the keywords. When I mean people, I mean your customers and workers, it is very important for you not to be a hot-tempered person. You must be able to listen to people. You must be able to make tentative decisions all the time.
You are also a car freak. But don’t you think that spending so much money on luxury cars in Nigeria can be pretty expensive since we don’t have good roads?
We do have bad roads, but our roads are not the worst in Nigeria. We can’t say because our roads are bad we wouldn’t enjoy the good things of life. The essence of working hard is not just to have money in the bank or give them away, there should be a time to give yourself a treat. There are certain cars to buy and there are certain places you should go. That being said, I can’t drive my luxury cars to certain places. It is only one life you have to live. I think we should do our best to enjoy it.
You also love designer clothes. Can you tell us the maximum you have spent on a fashion item?
There is really no limit to what I think I have spent on a particular outfit. I have jackets that cost 5, 6, 7 million naira. If business is good, why not? There is nothing wrong in treating yourself to something nice and decent. After all they were made for people to purchase. I believe I am one of the people it was made for. So I should enjoy it as well.
If not nightclub business, which other business would you have been interested in?
I am going into real estate now, buying and selling of properties. It is a business I recently started just to expand my horizon and hopefully try to make more money.
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