BY Kemi Ashefon
For Dele Agekameh, looking good is good business. It is more than dressing up. “It is a lifestyle,” he started. “It begins from your thought. How do you see yourself? How do you want to be addressed by people? I have discovered that you are addressed by the way you are dressed. Fashion, for men, should exceed shoes, clothes or wrist-watches, it should be a lifestyle. It should be depicted in your home, the cars you drive and even your profession. A man could dress well but get to his apartment and you are disappointed. A man could have a noble profession but could not be noble in outlook.” 
Mind you, being noble, to him, is not extravagance. “It is allowing your taste to affect your environment. I was born of a father, who lived and worked in the palace of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi. So, growing in that elitist environment influenced my life. I mixed and played with the royal kids. From there, I desired the lifestyle I wanted for myself and as I grew, I worked towards it because my father made me realized that it can only be achieved by God’s help and hardwork. Though not a noise-maker, I can say that I live well.”
A journalist and now the publisher of The Capitol magazine, Agekameh, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity of the National Think Tank, a Non Governmental Organisation, is a dandy dresser. Maybe his six-foot frame is an added advantage but he would tell you that he stops at nothing when shopping for himself. “First, I’m a stickler for Italian suits because they sit well on me. Even my shoes, I don’t compromise the quality. Already, I have lost count of the number on my rack but they are over 150 pairs. A man should wear a nice smell and I would not mind spending $2,000 on fragrances. Right from when I was young, I have always dreamt of the kinds of cars I wanted. I would envision my home and how I want it built, so I tailored my taste towards my dream, even when I had nothing!”
Even while in the newsroom as a reporter? “I was lucky to have lived with the late Dele Giwa when I came to Lagos. He added glamour to journalism and by the time he died, we counted over 39 belts, more than 70 pairs of shoes and I never saw him drove in a car without air-conditioner! He was a man of style. So, I told myself: ‘why should I dress like a pauper because I was reporting? Do I have to ride bicycle to an assignment and be told to wait 10 hours before I interview a big man? From my reporting of crimes, I discovered that fraudulent men enthralled their victims by the way they dress and where they lived, so why should someone in a noble profession like journalism dress like a tart? I must confess that my experience in the palace and my stay with Dele Giwa influenced my lifestyle. I’m not for flamboyance but when I see anything I like and I’m comfortable with it, I go for it,” he replied.
Maybe it would interest you to know the many hours he spent in dressing up. “I am a very busy person but I still invest time to look good,” he enthuses.
By December (2008), he would clock 50 but he feels younger when discussing style. “Really, I dress to satisfy myself. By the time I am up in the morning, I head for my gym, go through the papers and select what clothes, shoes and other accessories would accompany them. I plan my dressing and spend like an hour or two getting myself ready for any outing. Even during my days as a young reporter, I would dress with the belief that I was going to see the president of a country. That helped me because I lost interest in brown envelopes but developed inter-personal relationship with those I meet. When you appear hungry, you are given peanuts but go as a professional and you a relationship is built. That exceeds brown envelopes and by the time I was leaving the newsroom to start a life for myself, I had my mansion and fleet of cars. Dressing up is important to me but my style exceeds that. From my office to my home and whatever business I dabble into, it should be clearly spelt out. You see, the tendency to do things that people would admire had always been in me. I like standing out and giving myself a sense of class.”
He would not finish this line without a word for news-hounds. “Learn to be creative and see the business aspect of your profession. Ask yourself, what happens to me when I leave here? Never denigrate your profession for a mesh of pottage and carry yourself with candour and respect.”
Talking about the activities of the National Think Tank, Agekameh, who hails from Agenebode, Edo State, explained that: “It is a body of professionals, who are out to achieve good governance in the country and help implement changes in various sectors. Though we are not working for the government, we have ideas that would help move the country forward. Many people are out to eat of the so-called national cake but how many people are interested in baking more cakes? How many people are interested in service to the people and not jostling for government positions and contracts? How many people are thinking for the government on how our economy can grow or an improvement in our democracy? These are our ideals and with the crop of members, we can achieve greater results.”
And publishing? He answered: “We are into tourism, business and politics. I still invest time and money in it because journalism is my first love. It has taught me to withstand pressure. I can plan my time and my mind is widely opened for ideas. I am first a reporter, and then can be addressed as a publisher. I still write but like when I was in the core newsroom. Journalism eats into your blood and there are times I would have forgotten that I am no longer a reporter. Some weeks ago, I was at my clinic in Ikoyi when I saw people milling around a baby. I became curious, walked nearer and made inquiries. I learnt that a mother of an eight-year-old baby was killed by armed robbers and the baby shot in the head. To me, that was a big story and I was almost writing in my head! I would have done the story but the atmosphere did not allow me that day. I went to the clinic for a check-up!”
When a man dresses well or is tagged as trendy, he could have problems with the opposite sex despite his wedding band. Is he a victim? “If I deny this, I am a liar,” he confessed. He proffered his escape route: “I have chosen to be blind to them. It even amazes me how some women got my number and would call tirelessly! There are some I would not pick, some I do but with the consciousness of AIDS/HIV, any man should be careful! Apart from that, I am a very busy person and could be in the office all day! I have been disciplined from when we were in the palace on how to handle the opposite sex. I cannot do privately, something that can tarnish my image publicly, so I am very careful. A man of style should be clean inside out.”
But most women married to men of style could feel threatened. “Not mine,” he reiterated. “She is pretty, I love her and she trusts me. She knows what I can do and the limit I can go, so she would not feel threatened. She is more of an introvert when it comes to fashion but allows me into her wardrobe often. Whenever we needed to go out together, I choose her clothes and other accessories. I even shop for her whenever I am on a trip because I know her size. Even my kids, I do the shopping whenever I am opportune. I don’t see her position threatened in any way!”
With a dream to ‘touch as many lives as possible through positive contribution’, Agekameh, denied any fashion flaw. “Nobody is perfect but if you are used to doing a thing daily for many years, you would have overcome hurdles, learnt and discovered so many things. That is why I could take hours in dressing up, I can’t afford to be arrested by a fashion police,” he said.
•This interview was conducted in June 2008
