many know him as Jim Iyke. He
talks about his personality and
career
With kidnap cases being a
common trend, do you entertain
fears that you could be a victim?
There is a certain way I live and I
believe people only attract what
they feel and what they love. So,
if I have fears, what I would
attract would be fears and
misgivings. I am completely
fearless about these things
because it is a law of attraction. I
have no fear of gunmen or
kidnappers because I have not
wronged anybody for them to
want to harm me. I drive out at
2am and go back to my house at
4am. I just believe that every
morning when I get on my knees
and pray, God knows my
intention. He knows that I am
going for my daily bread and I am
not in anybody's way. Though, I
have made my mistakes, I have
repented from them and go
about my business. There are
basic laws of existence which
people should not violate. If you
have the fear of the unknown all
the time, you will attract
negative things to yourself. I
don't live like that. I am a
typical Lagos boy and I have been
around all kinds of crimes and
none ever got to me.
Now that you have joined the
league of celebrities running
reality shows, what aspect of
your personality will you
portray?
I don't know if I should call it
shocking, but I like moving
around my house naked. I feel I
am always dressed in public, so
when I am inside my house, I
should enjoy the freedom that
comes from not being tied down
with clothes. So, you will see me
moving around with parts of my
body blurred by the camera.
There is an impression you are
an arrogant and unfriendly
person?
One of the reasons I am running
the show is to allow people see
and understand a lot of things
about the real me. I deal with
people on a daily basis and they
do not understand that certain
pressures can make somebody
appear rude or arrogant. Shyness
can make someone appear rude
and unfriendly. But the show will
feature the pressure I go through
daily and the way I cope with that
pressure.
What kind of pressure are you
talking about?
There are so many. It is not
easy to have your life constantly
scrutinised. This is Lagos, there is
so much pressure coupled with
lack of basic human amenities.
These factors can contribute to
the pressure a man has to cope
with.
Why did you go into fashion?
Yes. I realised that since I don't
shoot as many movies as I did in
the past, I can do other things. I
have made that point clear-it is
not about quantity anymore, it is
about quality and I am very
careful about what I do now. The
last movie I featured in, 'last
flight to Abuja' was what ushered
in this project I am doing now.
In this business, you are as good
as your last job.
In fashion, one can either be an
admirer or an investor. My
lifestyle as a fashion admirer and
consumer has cost me a lot of
money. I made an inventory of
how much I have spent on fashion
and cars as well as the houses I
have lived in. I reasoned that it
was time to turn my passion into
an enterprise. Since I like
fashion, I decided to go into
boutique management, now I can
buy clothes for myself and others.
I can make money from it instead
of just spending.
Do labels influence your choice
of clothes?
I am not brand crazy, but it
happens that the best clothes are
made by the big brands, take it or
leave it. The designer labels cost
a lot of money but there is a
healthy competition; which is why
I find the fashion market very
interesting. I have discovered
that everybody is heading towards
the same direction. I have been
to factories that make goods for
Gucci. There are people working
on a smaller scale and these are
the ones I hire to make my
clothes and they give me what I
want. However, I always buy what
I know I would look good in.
You are a sunglasses freak too?
I have about 125 pairs. My
personal assistants and people
who come to my house keep
stealing them. Also, I have been
a collector of all kinds of stuff-
shoes and sneakers. I think I own
about 200 pairs; it is not
something to brag about, this is a
form of art for me, just like the
way people collect stamps. I like
shoes and I collect them. I keep
the ones my mother owned in the
60s and the ones my aunts owned
in the 70s. I get shoes that are
much branded and are limited
edition. For me it is not just
about fashion statement anymore,
it is art.
Do you indulge in any kind of
food?
I am a sweet tooth and a junk
food junkie. I have gained weight
at some point and no matter how
hard I trained, I was gaining
weight! I knew what the problem
was so I had to cut down. I barely
eat breakfast but I eat one solid
meal a day. This could be lunch
or dinner. Once I indulge, I make
sure I eat everything I want to
eat.
How do you relax?
I watch movies. I have to watch
movies to sleep and I don't just
watch them for pleasure, I watch
them critically to learn about new
things.
What is a typical day like for
you?
I sleep around 3am every day, no
matter the time zone or the
country. I wake up fairly early,
depending on the amount of
activities I am involved in but I
think I have some sort of in-built
clock, I wake up at the same time
every day which is 6 am. When I
wake up, I pray because God is
the central part of my life and I
give it all to Him. My father
always said the best exercise of
the day is prayers. As soon as I
am done with prayers, I do an
exercise which is a fusion of yoga
and martial arts. It is a process
where the body, soul and mind
have to be in sync. I do it to
purge my mind and body, relieve
the pressures of the day and
make decisions about the kind of
people I would let into my life for
that day. I have not been to the
hospital in over 12 years of doing
the exercise.




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