By Stanley Onyekwere
Two nights before one of the biggest night of his creative0s career, Serial Creative Adetimilehin “Vic’Adex” Inioluwa wasn’t celebrating. He was awake at 12:30 AM, staring at the ceiling, paralyzed by a single, terrifying question.
It wasn’t about whether the microphones would work. It wasn’t about whether the books would arrive on time. It was something far more personal.
“I was having anxiety,” Vic’Adex confessed to the hushed audience at the close of his book launch on Friday. “I woke up and I asked myself: Do people love me that much? Do they love me enough to come here and part with their hard-earned money?”
The Struggle to Believe
For the “Village Boy” turned Management Consultant, the fear was rooted in a history of doubt. He recalled 2009, when he considered publishing his first book for just $1,000 (70,000 Naira at the time). Back then, the voices in his head were loud: Do people even read poetry? Will anyone buy this?
Fast forward to 2025, and despite his success, those old ghosts returned. In an economy where every Naira counts, asking people to invest in art feels like a gamble.
“I know the value of money,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I know what it means to work for it. So, asking you to spend it on my words… that terrified me.”
Interestingly, it was overwhelming “Yes”, but as he stood on the stage at Dunadura Restaurant, looking out at a room that was standing room only, a room that had just witnessed a historic 1 million Naira opening bid and countless other donations, the answer to his midnight question was undeniable
.
“Seeing you here has been an overwhelming answer: YES,” Vic’Adex told the crowd.”
The night wasn’t just about selling books; it was a referendum on impact. The friends, mentors, and strangers who filled the room weren’t just buying paper and ink. They were investing in the boy who dared to leave the village, the boy who wrote love letters that got him in trouble, and the man who now writes to heal others.
Dare to Dream.
In his closing remarks, Vic’Adex shifted the spotlight from himself to what his success represents for others.
He saisd: “You are the reason why a village boy can dare to dream, you are the reason I can tell someone else that dreams do come true. If you dare to dream, you will find people to support you.”
As the event wrapped up, the anxiety of 12:30 AM was gone, replaced by the certainty of a community that showed up, paid up, and stood up for one of their own.
By reason and experience,
Adetimilehin “Vic’Adex” Inioluwa may have started the week questioning if he was loved enough. He ended it knowing that his village is not only watching, they are cheering.
Glaringly, poetry Has All My Pain and Love is a tender map of a village boy’s becoming. The poems trace his wounds, his small joys, his questions about love, faith, and identity, and the quiet courage it takes to grow.
And, aach piece is a memory turned into meaning, childhood, heartbreak, resilience, and hope woven into verse. It is a book for anyone who has carried pain in silence or tried to make beauty from the broken parts of their story.
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