Good-looking Akin Adeoya is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel 1960, Anthony, Lagos. He has been into active journalism, marketing communications and now, is an entrepreneur. He spoke against the backdrop of his background, educational evolution, romance with journalism, entrepreneurship and the interesting matter of women and marriage, approaching them with all boldness and sincerity when our Contributing Editor, IFECHI OKOH, closed up on him recently. Enjoy the encounter!

Who is Akin Adeoya beyond being a journalist and CEO of Hotel 1960, Anthony, Lagos?

Akin Adeoya is an Ekiti State indigene. I schooled in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in Osun state. I hold a degree in English and Literary Studies. I am a member of some professional bodies.

Can we have an insight into your childhood years and dreams?

I wanted to be a story-teller from the onset. I remember during my days, television was pretty popular then and also a powerful medium of communication. At that time, we love to watch the Village Headmaster, Hotel De Jordan, The New Masquerade and other soap operas. Interestingly, I extended my interest to reading novels by like Hardly Chase, Nick Carter and few other sound English writers. At that time, I was reading them at such a fast pace, which eventually caught the attention of my father who incidentally became worried about the implications of not reading in anticipation of becoming the Engineer he had preferred that I become. Funny enough, he didn’t know I was not just interested in Engineering at all. Honestly, academics then was a bit boring for me. Hence, I took to reading both the English writers and some intelligent African ones like late Chinua Achebe and Professor Soyinka. I also paid attention to some fine African writers like Camara Laye, James Thiong’o Ngugi. It was only my mum that encouraged me simply because she was a story teller. This, in itself, fuelled my interest. I read novels like no man’s business.

Did your father frown at this?

Of course, as he never found my love for novels funny. He showed this by telling me openly that he would love me to study Engineering or Business administration. But, funny enough, none interested me like this my romance with novels which provided me with the ample opportunity of reading novels as I liked. I remembered too, that some of my tutors noticed my too much love for reading novels. They even punished me as a result. That, interestingly, did not kill my interest and forced me to be interested in the sciences like biology, chemistry and physics. The fact that I was not interested in the sciences did not cancel my interest in the sciences because I still remember the solar system which I learnt in form one. That memory is still with me. I mean about the knowledge of the earth, planet, and different solar systems. I also read books about life under the sea and outside of it. With these acquisitions, I was naturally not interested in the sciences or related studies. As a result of this, I had a running battle with my father during my last two years in the secondary school.

When did your romance with journalism start?

It all began when I read Winston Churchill and other English authors’ works who were writers and Journalists. Their works, then, were great sources of inspiration to me. It afforded me the opportunities that they had. However, I was able to prove myself as a creative writer when my copies won awards for my agency. But like everything that has a beginning, the end came for me when I started to feel bored with the agency job. My next bus stop was to get a job with any newspaper or magazine. I made my intention initially known to my bosses in the agency, they thought that it had to do with my salary. But then, I told them no, as they wanted to jerk up my take home. It was then I told them that it does not have to do with money but personal satisfaction. They persuaded me to stay back, but I refused. They now asked if I had already gotten a place but they were stunned when I told them no. At this point, they reluctantly let me off their hook. That was how I embarked on the journey to fulfilling my desire to be a journalist. After many years in journalism, I started my romance with the hospitality concern, which led me precisely to setting up the Hotel 1960, in Anthony Village, Lagos.

Did your romance with journalism help in anyway?

Oh yes, it did. As a journalist, I brought my critique’s disposition to bear in the running of the place, by weighing every pros and cons of my official action before implementation. That was how I successfully became my own watch dog or critic who was very prudent with my spending. When I saw the need to pull in some expatriates, I did not waste time because of their envisaged international slant which they will bring into the business.

What is your definition of beauty?

Beauty has always been a thing of the mind. Hence philosophers had always insisted that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

What trips you in a woman?

Simple intelligence! This is the first and foremost factor which attracts me to a woman. If you are one of those who defines a woman's beauty with figure eight, you would just go blind one day because of your myopic definition. An intelligent and exposed woman is a delight any day and anytime.

What is the place of sex for you in marriage?

Sex may mean a lot to some people in marriage. But to others, it may not. It is simply different strokes for different folks anyway. If your wife, does not like sex, that does not mean that the marriage will not succeed. Although, some people feel strongly that sex is the problem. But I don’t think that it should be imposed. It could be once a year. After all, it's no food.

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