Tajudeen Owoyemi: Entrepreneur and Hospitality Mogul

Tajudeen Salawudeen Owoyemi is a prominent Nigerian business magnate, civil engineer, and respected community leader, best known as the founder and Chairman of Avalon International Limited, a company with significant interests in hospitality, property, and construction. Born in Offa, Kwara State, in 1956, Owoyemi's life journey is frequently cited as a remarkable story of entrepreneurial perseverance. He combines a foundational background in engineering with a sharp acumen for business expansion, which has enabled him to build a diversified empire across key sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Owoyemi’s early life was marked by limited resources, having been born to petty trader parents in Offa. His drive for success led him to relocate to Kaduna at the age of 18, where he initially trained as an artisan and plumber. Despite his humble entry into the workforce, he pursued formal technical education on a part-time basis, ultimately obtaining a National Diploma in Civil Engineering from Kaduna Polytechnic. This blend of practical, hands-on experience and professional engineering training provided the crucial technical foundation upon which his later construction and business ventures were built.

​His formal career trajectory began in the construction sector. In 1978, at the age of 22, Owoyemi established his first company, Tajudeen Owoyemi and Co Limited (TOCL), a full-fledged civil and mechanical engineering firm. Over the next two decades, he established himself as a construction magnate, successfully executing numerous civil engineering contracts, including significant industrial, commercial, and even military projects across the country. This long and successful track record in the building industry laid the financial and structural groundwork necessary for him to explore new, capital-intensive opportunities.

​A pivotal shift in Owoyemi's entrepreneurial focus occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he strategically ventured into the hospitality industry. Seeking a more stable, recurring revenue model compared to the contract-based construction sector, he founded Avalon Intercontinental Nigeria Limited in 2003. This entity was specifically created to secure competitive international hospitality franchises, a strategy that catapulted him into the elite league of luxury hotel ownership. The group now owns and operates flagship properties, including internationally branded hotels like the Radisson Blu Ikeja Hotel and Park Inn by Radisson, Victoria Island, establishing his formidable presence in Nigeria’s high-end hospitality market.

In addition to his business achievements, Tajudeen Owoyemi holds a significant traditional leadership role and is widely recognized for his humanitarian work. In 2021, he was conferred with the highly respected honorary chieftaincy title of the third Asiwaju of Offa Kingdom by His Royal Majesty Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, acknowledging his status as an illustrious son of the soil. His philanthropy is multifaceted, contributing to education, sports, and the arts, and he is lauded for his commitment to uplifting his community and positively impacting humanity without seeking undue publicity.