Nigerian rapper and reality star, Laycon, has revealed that winning Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) Season 5 was the only thing that saved his mother's life.

Speaking on the Echo Room podcast, Laycon explained that his mother was already very ill before he entered the Big Brother house in 2020. He said that while he was competing on the show, her health got much worse, but he had no idea because he was cut off from the outside world.

According to the rapper, by the time he finished the show and returned home as the winner, his mother was "close to death."

"I am saying it clearly now, if I didn't win that show, if I had come out as the runner-up, my mum would be dead now," Laycon said during the interview.

The music star noted that the prize money and fame from the show gave him the resources to get his mother the medical care she urgently needed.

Laycon, whose real name is Olamilekan Agbeleshebioba, became a fan favourite during the "Lockdown" edition of the show. Since his big win, he has focused on his music career, recently releasing a project dedicated to his late father.