By Benjamin Njoku

The story of Joseph Odebeatu, the man behind the popular celebrity hangout, Ojez Restaurant and Entertainment Centre, tucked inside the National Stadium Surulere, and Railway Recreation Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos, who turns 60 today runs like a novel.

Unknown to many, the soft -spoken engineer-turned-entertainment icon started out as a shoemaker back in his local community, in Anambra State.

Having experienced tough times while climbing the ladder of success, Odebeatu said at 60, he’s fulfilled looking back from where he started his journey.

He said, “I didn’t give up my dreams despite the odds.”

Sharing his remarkable journey from a humble beginning as a shoemaker to becoming a renowned figure in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, in a chat with Saturday Vanguard, Odebeatu revealed that he started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age and at 12, he had 18 apprentices and shops in his local markets.

“The brand called O’jez started from engineering. I started out as a shoemaker when I was young. My mother had a store then,where she used to sell stock fish. I would ask her to buy some tools for me, while hanging around her store. Before I knew what was happening, I had started repairing shoes and bicycles. When I was 12, I had 18 apprentices and shops in my local markets in Aniocha, Anambra State. The villagers would bring their children for me to train them,” he recalls. Odebeatu relocated to Lagos in 1980, starting anew as an apprentice in Mushin.

He recounted: “While in Lagos, I established Joenak Engineering in 1991, employing Britons and Indians. But I ventured into the showbiz industry after sealing a partnership deal with some Chinese to produce CDs during the era of CD. Later, I established O’jez nightclub, so that while we were producing the CDs, we would also have an outlet to sell the CDs. We had the likes of Sunny Nneji and other musicians coming around to market their CDs, which we produced for them.

“That was how O’jez Restaurant and Entertainment Centre was born. O’jez started off at Iwaya in Yaba. Then, if you had not visited O’jez, it means you were not yet in Lagos. The outfit later turned out to be a place for fun seekers. I tried to create something that would bring families together. When we moved to the National Stadium, in Surulere, families who had been our loyal customers for over 20 years became part of the family.

“I am more popular in the engineering field than in the entertainment industry. I am still the doctor that keeps the equipment moving. That’s the heart of my business because entertainment will not put money in your pocket, it will only give you a name. My engineering company is still functioning till today. All the same, I have been doing my best to keep the brand, O’jez afloat.

“When Ojez nightclub was at Iwaya, I established what I call Elders’ Forum and the idea is to bring the elderly ones together every month to have fun and listen to old school music. The inspiration was to help elongate the lives of these senior citizens.” Odebeatu said.

Odebeatu, who’s also a philanthropist, is unveiling a foundation tomorrow as his 60th birthday package, to cater for the needs of the blind people. He’s disappointed that society has no regard for the physically-challenged, especially the blind, urging people to love and care for them.

According to him, “the foundation is to support people who have difficulties in life”..His story serves as a testament to his perseverance, innovative spirit, and commitment to creating a lasting legacy in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.