I WORK HARD TO GET GOOD THINGS ––DAYO ADENEYE
SHOWBIZ personality, Dayo Adeneye oozes style and class. And as you will expect, he makes no fuss about it. Whether he is dressed in suit, native or casual wears, D1, as Adeneye is fondly called, will surely make the A-list as one of the most stylish men around in Nigeria today.
The Primetime African TV co-anchor, who gained national attention in the 1990s on Ray Power and the African Independent television, says, ”Style is a unique way of doing things. It is more than just dressing up. Style is all about you eat, what you wear, how you approach life, how you approach people, your approach to your business and how you attend to your household.”
An easy-going fellow, D1 adds, ”I've always liked good things since I was young. I like the good things of life and that is why I'm prepared to work hard for it. I like good clothes, good cars and I like to eat good food.
”I also understand that many young folks see me as a role model, so I'm always careful on how I comport myself in terms of not just what I wear, but what I say, and how I say it because young people emulate all these things. All these are part of style.”
The Ijebu high chief disagrees that looking good costs him a lot of money. ”I don't have to be a millionaire before I look good,” he says in his singsong voice. ”I mean, I don't have to spend a fortune just to have a good manicure, a good haircut every week and also to keep my nails and moustache clean. I don't need to wear a Versace or Gucci before people acknowledge that I'm stylish.”
For most young men who have the cash to throw around in Nigeria today, wearing designer labels has become synonymous with being stylish. But not for Adeneye. He explains, “I did all that when I was younger. It was all part of growing up. Now, I dress more to suit myself and to be comfortable.”
Adeneye, who shops for his shirts and suits in England and the United States, while local designers take care of his native wear did not mince words when Trends asked him what fashion item he is incomplete without. ”Believe it or not, it's a nice and clean underwear. Before I go for my shower or iron my shirts, I'm already thinking of what underwear to put on even for the next day. My mother inculcated that in all her children. My underwear has to be very clean; I can't do without it,” he says.
Sitting comfortably on a black leather chair, D1 smiles coyly when he was asked about the part of his body that thrills him the most.
”I think it's my eyes,” he says. ”I get a lot of compliments on my eyes and also my teeth. People say I have a nice smile, but personally, I like my eyes.”
Does that explain why some people have alleged that D1 always frowns because he is conscious that his dentition makes the hearts of ladies to melt? Calmly, Adeneye replies, ”I hear a lot of that. But the truth is I've always tried to take care of my teeth. People find good teeth very attractive and that is why I pay a lot of attention to it. I don't joke with the appointment with my dentist at all.”
Though Adeneye is grateful to God for his success in life, he is quick to add that the fame has not taken anything away from him. ”Success means nothing if one is not humble,” says D1. ”I still remember that when I was young, my mother used to sell oranges and banana in front of our house at Ebute-Meta. ”So when I look back, I realise where I came from and that keeps me focused. That is why I work hard because I know that nothing good comes easy.”
Dressed in a simple adire shirt and black trousers for this session, Adeneye wished to turn back the hand of the clock when Trends asked him what his worst decision is.
”If I have to start all over again, I probably would have got married when I was much younger,” he says without hesitation. ”It's not really that I have any regret now but looking back, I would have loved to have been married maybe at the age of 22 or 23.”
Was it because he was having a ball then with the opposite sex and marriage was simply out of the question? He replies, ”That was part of it. For most young men of our age, we thought we had the whole world at our feet. So you asked yourself, 'Why must I get married and tie myself down?'
”But life is sweeter when you are married and when you have a partner that helps to share in your troubles and your pains. I believe I should have been married a long time ago. I admire people who, when their kids stand beside them, they look like siblings.
Even kids like that. They don't want their parents to come to their school and their friends would be asking, 'is that your grandfather?”
For someone who spent about two decades in the United States of America, one would think that African values mean nothing to this showbiz icon. Perish that thought because Adeneye is still a stickler for African tradition, which he has inculcated in his immediate family.
He says, ”I took after my father in regard to practising African values. He was an African man to the core. I believe in our tradition because it helps us to survive when we go out of these shores.”
He pauses and then adds, ”For instance, if my wife wakes up in the morning, walks past me and says 'hi;' the kids are watching. And when the kids see an adult, they would say 'hi' when they are greeting an elderly person.
”But if my daughter wakes up and sees her mother kneeling down to greet me, she knows she cannot greet me by saying 'hi.' The training you impart to them is what they will do when they go outside. That was what my father believed in and I've also refused to compromise on that.”
The interview gradually dovetails into what D1 feels about his wife, Carol, and the level of influence she exerts on him. That brought a smile to Adeneye's face. In fact, he was almost short of words to describe her.
He says, ”Apart from God who grants all favours, she pushes me, encourages me and is always there for me. Beside my partner, Kenny Ogungbe, she is one person I'll say is 70 per cent responsible for my success.
”She never sees the negative side of anything. Once I tell her I want to do something, she says 'go for it.' And even when the thing does not work out, she would say, 'Don't worry, just try another one'.”