Olalekan Joseph Ajayi Biography

Olalekan Joseph Ajayi discovered his talents during his days at the then Edo State University (now Ambrose Alli University) , Ekpoma, Nigeria, under the tutelage of a certain Frank Uche Mowah (1954-1998) and a host of other dedicated lecturers. In those days of military rule in Nigeria, Mowah inspired Ajayi and his peers in the Honours Class of 1997 to search their literary souls for their own voices. He motivated Ajayi, and his contemporaries to defamiliarize language and preserve the beauty that the Masters of the Art had carved for poetry and indeed literature.

At various times during his undergraduate days, Ajayi served as President, Poetry Club and Editor of the Enibokun literary journal. His poems and short stories have appeared in publications such as Enibokun journal, Ivie journal, The Observer and an anthology of poetry entitled Awakening the Troubadours edited by Taye Anavhe.

The themes of his poems are diverse. He draws his inspiration from the world around him but admits the works of Pablo Neruda, Garcia Marquez and Olu Oguibe have influenced him a great deal. Based on the evident anger in his works at the time, his colleagues fondly called him Meshuggenah the Poet.

Ajayi holds a Masters degree in International History and Diplomacy from the University of Benin and is an alumnus of the New York Film Academy, New York, where he studied scriptwriting.

He has practised as a journalist and was the News Editor as well as a columnist with The Nigerian Observer.

Olalekan Joseph Ajayi currently works for the Federal Government of Nigeria as a Researcher and Speech Writer.

He believes in God and is married to Osasumwen Christabel Ajayi. Together, they are blessed with a daughter and a set of male twins.