John Obayuwana believes beauty can build a nation. That faith, being equal parts taste and tenacity, has carried him through four decades of convincing Nigerians that luxury is not foreign indulgence but local aspiration. In an age of quick wealth, his patience feels almost radical.
At Polo Luxury’s glass-wrapped boutique in Ikoyi, Obayuwana presides quietly over what looks like a ceremony but feels like a craft. The unveiling of Rolex’s new Land-Dweller last month drew a coterie of collectors, stylists, and Lagos’ discreet elite. They admired not just the watch’s gleam but the theatre of refinement Obayuwana has staged for years.
The man’s story began long before Lagos became fashionable. A banker turned merchant, Obayuwana founded Polo Luxury in the 1980s, at a time when the words “Swiss watch” barely registered in Nigerian retail. Today, his group represents the world’s most venerated maisons (including Rolex, Cartier, Piaget, and Chopard) and has earned him the Swiss Learning Excellence Award, a first for any African.
Looking at things closely, Obayuwana treats commerce as philosophy.
His creed of beauty, craftsmanship, and exclusivity sounds romantic until one considers the discipline it demands. He insists that good taste is learned, that elegance is civic virtue, and that Nigerians deserve exposure to objects that elevate the spirit as much as they decorate the wrist.
He does not chase trends; he cultivates them. His Kings Tower boutique feels less like a store than a cultural outpost, where watches are displayed like sculptures and salesmanship is replaced by storytelling. His daughter, Jennifer, now Executive Director, continues this ritual of refinement with a calm authority that mirrors her father’s.
Beyond retail, Obayuwana supports charities and think tanks promoting social development, suggesting that beauty, in his world, is not trivial but moral. The man who sells timepieces, it turns out, is in no hurry. He is trying to teach a hurried country how to slow down and look closely at what endures.
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