“I Smoked for 13 Years” — Ebuka Opens Up on Addiction Battle as Banky W Shares Personal Struggles

Popular media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu has opened up about his long battle with smoking, revealing that he was addicted to cigarettes for 13 years before finally quitting through deliberate self-discipline and conscious effort.

Ebuka made the revelation during a recent episode of the MENtality Podcast, where he appeared alongside singer and actor Banky W and health influencer Aproko Doctor.

Speaking candidly during the discussion, the former Big Brother Naija host disclosed that he began smoking while still in junior secondary school and gradually became heavily dependent on cigarettes over the years.

According to him, the addiction became more intense during his university days, when he smoked as much 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,” Ebuka said during the podcast conversation.

He explained that overcoming the addiction did not happen overnight, noting that it required intentional decisions, discipline and conscious lifestyle changes to finally break free from the habit.

The conversation also saw Banky W make personal revelations about his own struggles with addiction and self-control.

The singer disclosed that at one point in his life, he became addicted to pornography while attempting to stop living a promiscuous lifestyle.

According to him, he initially convinced himself that consuming explicit content was a safer alternative to engaging in relationships with multiple women, but later realised he had only exchanged one unhealthy behaviour for another.

Banky W admitted that it took self-reflection and spiritual growth for him to recognise the deeper problem behind the addiction.

Reacting to the confession, Ebuka noted that many people often replace one harmful habit with another while trying to escape their previous addictions, sometimes without realising it.

Adding medical and psychological insight to the discussion, Aproko Doctor explained that many destructive habits are rooted in emotional pain, stress and unresolved personal struggles.

He stated that human behaviour is often driven by the desire to avoid pain and seek comfort or pleasure, which is why many people turn to smoking, substance abuse or other addictive behaviours as coping mechanisms.

According to him, addiction goes beyond physical dependency and is often tied to emotional and psychological triggers.

The trio stressed the importance of self-awareness, discipline and emotional regulation in overcoming destructive habits, encouraging people struggling with addiction to seek help, understand their triggers and consciously work toward healthier lifestyles.

Their honest conversation has since sparked reactions online, with many Nigerians praising the celebrities for speaking openly about personal struggles that are often hidden from public view.