29yrs old Dennis Okike is a
multi-millionaire today and the
proud owner of a brand new
SUV, courtesy of his
participation in the just
concluded Gulder Ultimate
Search, 2013 edition. He
speaks with Punch on the
show, his experiences and how
it took him three years to
emerge the Ultimate Man.
Enjoy...
Why did you decide to go in for
Gulder Ultimate Search 10?
I had the craving to be a part of
the show. I saw myself as
being an Ultimate Man
someday. I have always had
the dream. My friend, Uche
Nwaezeapu, won the GUS in
2006. He wasn’t as athletic as I
was back then. He was just the
guy next door and didn’t
participate in any sports while
we were in school. Now, I
started seeing him on TV and
he became the winner. So I felt
if Uche could win, I could as
well. I prayed about it and from
that day, I started working
towards it...
So this wasn’t your first time of
trying to be a part of the show?
No. this was actually the third
time. The first time, I didn’t
make the preliminaries. The
second time, I was evicted
during the final selection and
then this time around, when I
went into the jungle. I played all
my cards well and I prayed so
much about it. I trained for
almost eight months for this
year’s search. I was always at
the stadium and the pool
training for the search. I was
just ready for it. I watched all
the past tasks they had in the
other editions and I was just
ready for anything new.
That means just as Uche won,
your life ambition was to be a
part of GUS?
That is true, very true. When
the show came out 10 years
ago, I liked it. But I was scared
of the jungle. But when I saw
Uche my friend doing it, I knew
I could do it as well. He was
my best friend in secondary
school. He coached me all the
while; he made sure I practised
my swimming. He pushed me
so hard. He told me that I
wouldn’t remember all I have
gone through when I start
reaping the fruits of it. He was
the motivational person I
needed. I think I owe all of this
to him.
When did you graduate from
the university?
I graduated in 2009/2010. I
attended University of Nigeria,
Nsukka.
So you haven’t been working
between then and now?
I was working in a bank. But it
was a holiday job. I did my
industrial training at the bank
and somehow, I went back
after graduation and since I
was close to the bosses, they
gave me a holiday job. I
worked there for a while until I
realised that I needed to go
back to school to settle some
issues. I did and that was it.
So you went in for the show
and even made it a ‘life
ambition’ because you didn’t
have a job?
I think God has a way of
planning my life. Everything
went according to God’s plans.
Those who come for the search
are mainly those who are less
occupied. If you had a nine to
five job, I don’t think you would
have the time to be a part of
GUS; that means you would
quit your job. And then, what if
you didn’t become the winner
after quitting your job?
How did you feel when you
were declared the winner?
I told you winning the show
was my priority in life. When I
won, I couldn’t help how I felt.
It was overwhelming. I had to
fall back into the water. How do
I explain being excited and
happy at the same time? I
couldn’t believe it. I was
startled. It didn’t get to me at
first but when it did? I almost
fainted. I got hit by N10m on
my left side and a brand new
SUV on my right side so I
fainted.
You raise the alarm at first even
when you hadn’t found the
piece you were asked to…
Yes. I saw something. It was a
bag of sand. I screamed that I
had found something. It turned
out to be a bag of sand. But it
didn’t deter me. I kept
searching. I asked myself what
I was coming back to if I didn’t
find the piece. I didn’t mind
breaking my nails and hurting
myself. No matter what, I
wanted to come back home
with the money. I had injuries
but I didn’t mind. I took the
pain and I felt I would get the
glory eventually. I was always
reciting my favourite Psalm-
Psalm 53. I kept digging. I went
to a spot where I noted that the
other contestants hadn’t gone.
I kept searching. I found
another bag. I didn’t want to
raise the alarm again. I pulled it
out and the more I pulled, it got
bigger. Obviously, it wasn’t a
sack of sand, it was the
scepter. I went on my knees
and thank God. There were
times I would have been
evicted but I kept praying that
the day wouldn’t be my last
day in the jungle.
What if you hadn’t won?
I still would have gone home
with money. But the most
important thing I am happy I
came for the show this year is
that it gave me the opportunity
to get a GUS pendant. I longed
for it. I wanted to be a part of
the GUS family. I wasn’t keen
about winning. But when I got
into the jungle and I saw the
contestants, I realised that I
should win. Some of them
hadn’t been through what I
have been through in life. Some
of them are comfortable in life. I
felt I hungered for it more. The
hunger kept pushing me. The
longer I stayed in the jungle,
the more I got weaker. People
felt I was losing focus but I am
human. God just protected
everyone of us.
You said you have been
through a lot in life, can you
tell us some of what you have
been through?
I have been neglected by
friends. I am an only son and it
sort of made me to be a one
man army. I grew up having
the sense of being on my own.
I had issues in my family. My
father was comfortable at a
point but at a point, he got shot
in 1998. You know what
happens when the breadwinner
is not able to bring in money
into the family again. Things
became bizarre. I can’t really
say most of the things that
happened. Going through the
university wasn’t easy at all.
But I am this kind of person
that even if I wear bathroom
slippers, I would still look good.
I didn’t let hardship get to me. I
have tasted hardship.
So many people think what we
see on TV is film trick; you
guys don’t get to suffer as
much as...
I don’t think you were shown
half of what we went through in
that jungle. We didn’t have
tooth brushes. We didn’t brush
our teeth for a month. It is a
jungle and you don’t have tooth
brushes in the jungle. It was
incredible. We were walking
casually into the jungle not
knowing what was in stock for
us. We had to go into the mud
for the mudslinging game. That
was when reality dawned on
us. Before then, we were
lounging and relaxing in the
hotel. In the jungle, I went
without food for two and half
days. I was being punished for
an offence. We slept under the
rain. We had bamboos as beds.
We had roaches, mosquitoes
and rodents all around us. We
went through a lot.
Was there a time you felt like
quitting?
I wanted to give up on the
fourth day. But no girl
complained. If no girl
complained, how could I have
been the first to quit? I had to
endure. Our food weren’t tasty
but we had to eat it. we just
wanted the stomach to be filled
up. Initially I thought we would
go and take shelter somewhere
if it rained. But that wasn’t the
case. Rain or shine, we were in
the jungle. It wasn’t the most
wonderful experience but I
thank God.
Was it all worth it, even with
the N10m?
It was worth it.
You didn’t have a good
relationship with the other
contestants…
I wouldn’t say it that way. I
didn’t want to be lukewarm. I
wanted the fire to continue
burning in me. I didn’t want to
continue joking and laughing
and playing. At a point, I felt it
could make us forget the
reason we were there. They
said I was quarrelsome, I was
just being defensive. I don’t like
being bullied.
What is next now?
A new phase of my life has
begun. I don’t have to rush. I
had my plans before I went to
the jungle. Now that I am out,
some plans might be altered.
Better plans have come. I am
not going to sit down and start
spending the money. My plan
is to see if I can double the
money.
What of your girlfriend?
I don’t have to say anything
about that. I will keep living my
life. I live a decent life and I will
not have issues. I will not bring
out my private life in public.
Old friends must have
resurrected now since you
won?
You don’t need to ask. There
was a point in my life my phone
didn’t use to ring. But now, it is
crazy. And the thing is that you
cannot be rude to anybody. My
callers even call by 2am. It has
been crazy. I now have to live
with it. It is my cross and I will
carry it humbly.
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