Media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has opened up about his 13-year battle with smoking and how he eventually quit through deliberate effort.
Speaking on an episode of the MENtality podcast alongside Banky W and Aproko Doctor, Ebuka revealed that he started smoking while in junior secondary school.
According to him, the habit became more serious during his university days, when he smoked as many as two packs of cigarettes daily.
“But I started smoking in JSS 3, and I smoked for 13 years. In university, I was doing about two packs a day,” he said.
Ebuka said he was eventually able to stop smoking by taking conscious and intentional steps to overcome the addiction.
Banky W also spoke about his personal struggle, revealing that he developed a pornography addiction while trying to stop being promiscuous. According to the singer, he initially saw it as a way to avoid relationships with multiple women before realising he had only replaced one harmful habit with another.
Ebuka agreed with him, saying many people often exchange one addiction for another while trying to escape the first.
Aproko Doctor added that destructive habits are often linked to attempts to deal with pain or emotional struggles.
Ebuka rose to fame after participating in the first edition of Big Brother Nigeria in 2006. Although he finished eighth on the show, he later built a successful career in television and media.
He is widely known as the host of Big Brother Naija and also hosts Rubbin’ Minds. Ebuka married Cynthia Obianodo in 2016 and they have two children together.
