Former Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) winner, Phyna, has revealed that her biggest financial mistake was spending most of her N100 million prize money on family responsibilities rather than securing investments for her future.
The reality television star, whose real name is Josephina Otabor, made the disclosure during a recent livestream where she reflected on life after winning the popular reality show in 2022.
According to her, she entered sudden wealth at a young age without proper financial guidance and ended up prioritising family needs over long-term financial planning.
Phyna explained that instead of consulting financial experts or making strategic investments, she devoted much of the money to paying family debts, giving financial assistance to relatives and funding personal projects for them, including the construction of boreholes in several homes.
Speaking about the experience, the reality star said she genuinely believed she was helping her family members at the time. She noted that many relatives constantly approached her for financial support, while none of the older members of the family advised her on how to properly manage or invest the money.
According to her, the situation eventually became overwhelming as expectations from relatives continued to rise. She said problems began when she started declining some of the requests due to financial pressure.
“The mistake I made was using my Big Brother Naija prize money to support family members instead of investing it. I thought I was helping my family members and sorting out their debts,” she said.
Phyna added that she spent generously on relatives because she wanted to improve their lives, but the lack of financial direction affected her ability to preserve the wealth she earned from the show.
“I was spending generously on them. None of the older family members called me to give me financial advice on how to invest or manage the money well. All of them were constantly demanding money from me for several stuff,” she stated.
The media personality further disclosed that she sponsored the digging of several boreholes for family members and handled numerous financial obligations for relatives shortly after leaving the Big Brother house.
However, she lamented that the same relatives allegedly turned against her once she could no longer meet their demands.
“But the moment I started saying ‘No,’ that was the beginning of my problem with family members. They complain and even call me out in the media whenever I can’t meet their demands,” she said.
The former BBNaija winner admitted that the experience taught her difficult lessons about wealth management, family expectations, and financial boundaries. According to her, she is now left to deal with the consequences alone after exhausting much of the money.
“But now that the money has finished, I’m the only one facing the reality alone,” she lamented.
Phyna rose to prominence after emerging winner of Big Brother Naija Season 7, a victory that brought her fame, endorsement deals and the grand prize package reportedly worth N100 million. Since leaving the reality show, she has remained active in the entertainment industry as an influencer, brand ambassador and media personality.
