Real Estate in Nigeria has seen remarkable growth over the last 20 years. Unlike the past where it was dominated by very aged people, these days, youths have caused a disruption in the industry. Many new real estate companies led by young CEOs have been making headlines with gigantic projects, thereby solving housing problems for Nigerians. These CEOs have shown exemplary leadership and have successfully positioned their companies as a leader in the Nigeria Real Estate industry. In this article, we take a look at 7 of the influential young CEOs in the real estate industry in Nigeria and some of the projects they have embarked on.
Noah Ibrahim – Novarick Homes and Properties Limited
Noah Ibrahim is a young, innovative entrepreneur and Real Estate professional who is in his thirties. Noah Ibrahim is the Managing Director & CEO of Novarick Homes and Properties Limited. He has been an entrepreneur since he was an undergraduate student. After graduating from Obafemi Awolowo Universityin Mechanical Engineering, Noah later ventured into footwear design and production with a friend.
He also founded Sellerrand Realty Limited a property sales and facility management company before founding Novarick Homes & Properties Ltd, a fast-growing Real Estate development company championing the emergence for the development of a smarter and greener community by leveraging renewable energy as an alternative source of power.
Nola Adetola – Veritasi Homes Limited
32 year old Adetola Nola is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Veritasi Homes Limited. Nola is an excellent driven and innovative entrepreneur with positive energy and experience instrumental in redefining success in growing businesses in Nigeria.
With over ten years of experience in real estate marketing, investment and blogging, he brings to the industry a plethora of expert knowledge and hands-on secured information and opportunities across various segments of real estate. Before Veritasi, Adetola founded and co-founded five other companies. Apart from Veritasi, he is also currently the Founder/Chief Strategy Officer of Nola Travels and majority shareholder at real estate development company, Eystone Development.
His vision is to raise 200 successful African Entrepreneurs who will, in turn, create employment by 2025.
Adetola has been nominated and won numerous awards in recognition of his immense contributions to the Real Estate Industry. This includes, Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Business class, 2019; Ecowas Youth Ambassador, 2020; Advance Media: 100 Most Influential Young Africans, 2020, amongst others.
Kehinde Muibi – MKH Investments
Kehinde is the CEO of MKH Investments, a real estate development company driven by its goal of creating sustainable real estate opportunities in Nigeria. He is also the CEO of Destiny Crest Limited, a construction company borne out of his passion for construction.
With a humble beginning, Kehinde has risen to be one of the young successful CEOs thriving and making a difference in the real estate sector. From earning N150 in a construction firm, he has built a real estate firm worth N10bn in assets.
He is the initiator of the Wealthy Place project, the biggest project owned by a private company. The Wealthy Place is a 450-plots Estate set to be one of the best opportunities for real estate investors on the Lekki Free Trade Zone Axis.
Kehinde holds an OND in mathematics and statistics and a BSc in Business administration and an MSc in Project Management. He has an honorary doctorate in Estate Management and Property Development from the European-American University, Republic of Panama.
Olawale Ayilara – Landwey
Olawale has over 10 years experience in business, handling transactions worth a combined value of $300 million. He is the CEO of Landwey Investments, a Real estate development company focused on making real estate investments accessible to all through a secure and reliable service. He also Co-founded Nigerian Property Investments Group, a real estate platform for Nigerians in diaspora.
Wale is a recipient of the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 recognition, He is an alumnus of Lagos Business School EDC with an MBA from the Metropolitan School of Business and Management, UK. He also received Harvard Executive Certification in Real Estate Management, Finance, Design and Leadership. He is still a current student at the Harvard Business School.
He is the Group CEO of Oxygen Holdings, He sits on the board of over 10 high-profile businesses and is a member of the Sponsors for Young Growing Business Association, a pan-African organisation comprising a network of leading African professionals thriving in challenging career paths.
Dr. Tony Aspire Kolawole
Tony Aspire is the president of the Billionaire Realtors Group (BRG) a leading real estate brokerage firm in Africa that boasts of a team of over 20,000 realtors. He is also the managing director of Tribitat Homes.
Tony is a seasoned and highly recognized real estate entrepreneur with key interests in real estate marketing, commercial real estate, real estate advisory and strategy as well as property development and investment.
He is deeply skilled in small business strategy, sales and negotiations, and digital strategy for business. He also possesses excellent team-building skills.
Sijibomi Ogundele
Sijibomi Ogundele is the CEO of Sujimoto Construction Limited; a trusted one-stop solution provider in Real Estate and Hospitality. He was born on the 8th of April 1981, into a corporately dynamic family where my Father worked 9-5 as a Manager and my Mother was a full-time Entrepreneur.
Mr. Ogundele, who built his company – Sujimoto Group, in a few years into a Luxury Construction powerhouse in Africa, focused on building extraordinary luxury edifices in premium neighbourhoods across Africa.
Sijibomi is very unapologetic about his opinions concerning the luxury real estate industry and has been described severally as the Donald Trump of Nigeria; claiming that the Nigerian Luxury Real Estate industry has not achieved 5% of its true potential. This inspired his vision to set up his company called Sujimoto Construction Ltd, which has achieved impressive strides within a few years of operations and gained recognition for being one of the most dynamic luxury real estate and construction companies in Nigeria as recorded by Channels Television, CNBC to name a few.
Richard Nyong
Richard Nyong is the CEO of Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, one of the most popular Real Estate Companies in Nigeria. Nyong who is a product of Pastor Sam Adeyemi’s Daystar Leadership Academy, sits on the board of several blue chip companies.
With over a decade experience in the real estate sector, Nyong’s multibillion dollar Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, also consults, develops and manages prime property for a wide range of clientele.
Aside from the popular Lekki Gardens, the 41 year old entrepreneur who is also the brain behind Ikoyi Gardens, Mainland Gardens, Port Harcourt Gardens and Richards Court estates.
Last year, Dr. Richard Nyong, who was conferred with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) for his huge contribution in making housing more affordable to Nigerians and creating over 250,000 jobs both directly and indirectly for Nigerians across the nation.
Honourable Mentions
- Micheal Shobukola – Founder of Strongmas Residence Development
- Wisdom Kwati – CEO at Karabow Group | Founder Wisdom Kwati Smart City
- Oluwatobi Victor Oladele – FIPSMultilinks
- Umar Abdullahi – Founder, Cosgrove
- Wale Olayanju – 4point Property