Big Brother Naija Lockdown Season 5 winner, Laycon, shared a personal experience from 2013, highlighting a time when he faced severe hunger and financial constraints. Alone in his wing at Shodeinde Hostel in the University of Lagos, Laycon found himself in a desperate situation with no resources.

During that challenging weekend, Laycon expressed the intensity of his hunger, stating that he wasn’t just hungry but genuinely starving. With no money and no other options available, Laycon made a difficult decision to use the water from the toilet tap to soak gari, a staple food made from cassava flakes.

In Laycon’s own words, “One of my lowest lows was using Shodeinde Hostel toilet water to soak garri in 2013. I was alone in my wing that weekend, and I was starving. I wasn’t hungry o, I was starving. So, I soaked Garri with no sugar and used toilet tap water to drink it… as I Dey soak the garri, water dey commot for my eyes.”

One of my lowest lows was using shodeinde hostel toilet water to soak garri in 2013. I was alone in my wing that weekend, and I was starving. I wasn’t hungry o, I was starving. So I soaked Garri with no sugar and used toilet tap water to drink it… as I Dey soak the garri, water…

— biọba (@itsLaycon) February 8, 2024

Despite facing such hardships, Laycon went on to achieve fame by winning the Big Brother Naija reality show in 2020. His subsequent songs, including ‘Fierce,’ ‘Verify,’ and ‘Wagwan,’ enjoyed commercial success, marking a significant turnaround in his life.