He was born in Northern Nigeria and in order to gain the only free education available, he had to attend a tuition-free military academy (high school) located in Jos, Plateau state. During a routine hike at this school, (age 10), he fell in a 100 feet deep mining well but was rescued after a 4 hour attempt by villagers in the area. He sites this as one of the examples of why he considers himself to be "a very lucky guy.".