Read About Temitayo Akinyemi’s Pivotal Move From Law to Journalism in Today’s Doing Life With…

Hey Temitayo, how do you do?

Hey, it’s a pleasure to be here. Like most Nigerians, I am trying to navigate these Tinubu times.

We all are. Give me a peep into your background and what part of your childhood influenced who you are today

I read a lot of old newspapers. I did not grow up in the 80s (I am glad I only had to face Buhari once), but my father kept a lot of newspapers and magazines from that period, which I consumed with intent. I fell in love with Nigerian history reading those papers and the role of journalists in documenting history.

You graduated as a law student but decided not to practise Law. What informed this decision?

Temitayo Akinyemi

That’s impressively daring, Akinyemi

Thank you.

You’ve worked at different places and worn many hats in these positions. How have your roles in these different organisations influenced each other?

I have always loved stories and how they are told. There were days that I loved TV, days that radio helped me through, and periods of stopping by roadside stalls to read newspapers. More than stories, the thing I have found myself most amused by is the form storytelling takes. For me, whether it is covering the space industry, politics, insecurity and development, or youth culture, as long as good storytelling is happening in great forms that enhance the journalist’s duty to society, I am just happy to be in the room and to contribute. Everything comes together at some point. When I learned how to extract satellite data, or how to use them for enhancing storytelling, I didn’t have the opportunity to utilise it until I moved to another newsroom. Along the line, I have gained a lot of transferrable skills from the incredible people who have held my hands, and it just helps. I have been a reporter, an editor, a newsroom product manager, a newsroom manager and others. Everything comes together. They are muscles, they get exercised, they become toned, and I use them appropriately.

Temitayo Akinyemi

You have made huge strides, won awards and your works have been read by many people. Like you said, that’s a dream come true. But if you’re asked, what success means to you, how would you respond?

Temitayo Akinyemi

Do you have an unconventional thought about the world that people might not agree with?

Everything is a tool (religion, taxes, friendships, telephones, jobs) and tools are agnostic. The outcomes from each tool depend on the intention and skill of the user. Alternate point: it’s okay to be a hater. Just don’t be hypocritical about it.

Tell me about a moment in your life you felt utterly proud of yourself and nothing else mattered

Temitayo Akinyemi

What’s a typical day in your life?

Work. Instant messaging. More work. More instant messaging. Debit alerts. I used to be very big on routines but the past two years have taught me to be adaptable to chaos. I still try to have some routines, still try to wake up at the same time each day.  But when I don’t follow routines, I forgive myself. Repeat: Work. Instant messaging. More work. More instant messaging.  Debit alerts.

Debit alerts, you simply can’t escape it

I tell you.

Is there a skill or hobby you picked in recent times and enjoy

See. I woke up one Sunday afternoon in 2022 and hated that I had always wanted to cycle but didn’t know how to. So I went to buy a bicycle and taught myself with help from YouTube and passers-by. For skill, I would say AI prompting.

One crazy thing you’d do if the world wasn’t watching you

Crazy thing: Elope.