There is a weight to photographing a president an invisible pressure that demands perfection. “The president cannot wait for you when you are late. He cannot pause because your memory card is full, your battery died, or your lens broke,” Bayo in his interview with Venture Valley, a major podcast platform says with the calm confidence of a man who has seen it all. For Bayo, every click of the shutter carries responsibility, every frame tells a story, and every assignment is a test of precision, focus, and endurance.
Yet, Bayo’s journey is about far more than photography. He is a visionary creative strategist, cultural advocate, and institution builder a man determined to turn talent into impact. Over the past decade, he has mentored thousands of young creatives across Nigeria and beyond, helping them transform ideas into products, and products into industries. “Life is a journey. Most people make it a destination. Photography could have been my destination, but I refused. I wanted to build something bigger,” he reflects.
Bayo’s path to prominence began not in the halls of power, but on the bustling streets of Lagos. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. Honestly, I wasn’t even born with a spoon,” he recalls, his voice tinged with both humor and grit. Growing up in a “Face Me, I Face You” neighborhood, survival demanded awareness, courage, and a touch of cunning. “If not for my mother’s discipline, I might have ended up like many of my neighbors just another bus conductor or hustler on the streets.”
Despite these hardships, education became his lifeline. “Education is what you swallow that will make you fly. It’s the vehicle God used to help me,” Bayo emphasizes. Attending one of Nigeria’s top schools and later the University of Lagos exposed him to peers from wealthier backgrounds. It was here that he learned the power of environment and community. “The community that incubates you is your biggest asset. Surround yourself with people who push you forward,” he says, leaning on lessons from his early mentors and schoolmates.
Academic struggles marked his teenage years, with six Fs, four Ps, and two Cs in his O-Levels. Yet, he refused to let that define him. Through focus and the right environment, he transformed, eventually graduating with distinction from UNILAG. “The same brain that failed before produced straight As later. Your environment determines your growth,” he reflects, a lesson he now imparts to aspiring creatives.
Photography entered his life almost by necessity. “I was broke. My allowance was 500 Naira, and I had to pay transport, buy print material, and eat,” he recalls. But passion fueled persistence. Borrowing cameras, learning through trial and error, and photographing events became his classroom. By the time he reached NYSC, Bayo’s talent had begun to attract attention. “Everyone started chasing me. I became a threat to other photographers. The gift was just there maybe genetic,” he laughs.
Today, Bayo Omoboriowo is not merely Nigeria’s most celebrated presidential photographer; he is a creative entrepreneur, founder of JT Agency and Takara Africa, and a Guinness World Record holder. His work has redefined the African creative landscape, creating platforms for knowledge, impact, and empowerment. “Photography is not just about pictures; it’s about telling stories, creating opportunities, and leaving legacies,” he says.
Through it all, Bayo remains grounded in the principles that shaped him: passion, intentionality, and community. “If you are incubated in the right environment, you will see possibilities even when they seem out of reach,” he says. From the streets of Lagos to the corridors of power, from a hostel squatter to a globally recognized creative, Bayo’s story is one of resilience, vision, and the unshakable belief that talent, when nurtured, can transform lives.
Every photograph he takes, every initiative he builds, and every life he touches tells the same story: that greatness is forged in adversity, amplified by community, and realized through relentless purpose.
