Over the last 20 years, real estate in Nigeria has grown dramatically. Unlike in the past, when the industry was dominated by very old people, youths have caused a disruption in the industry these days. Many new real estate companies led by young CEOs have made headlines with massive projects, thereby solving Nigerians’ housing problems.
These CEOs have demonstrated exceptional leadership and have successfully positioned their companies as industry leaders in Nigeria. In this article, we will look at 7 of the most influential young CEOs in Nigeria’s real estate industry, as well as some of the projects they have undertaken.
Noah Ibrahim – Novarick Homes and Properties Limited
Noah Ibrahim, in his thirties, is a young, innovative entrepreneur and Real Estate professional. Novarick Homes and Properties Limited’s Managing Director and CEO is Noah Ibrahim. He has been an entrepreneur since he was a freshman in college. Noah went into footwear design and production with a friend after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in Mechanical Engineering.
He also established Sellerrand Realty Limited, a property sales and facility management firm, before establishing Novarick Homes & Properties Ltd, a fast-growing Real Estate development firm championing the emergence of a smarter and greener community by leveraging renewable energy as an alternative source of power.
Nola Adetola – Veritasi Homes Limited
Adetola Nola, 32, is the 32-year-old founder and CEO of Veritasi Homes Limited. Nola is an excellent driven and innovative entrepreneur with positive energy and experience who has played a significant role 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 wealth of expert knowledge as well as hands-on secured information and opportunities in a variety of real estate segments. Adetola founded or co-founded five other companies prior to Veritasi. Aside from Veritasi, he is also the Founder/Chief Strategy Officer of Nola Travels and the majority shareholder of Eystone Development, a real estate development company.
His goal is to raise 200 successful African entrepreneurs who will create jobs by 2025.
Adetola has been nominated for and won numerous awards for his outstanding contributions to the Real Estate Industry. This includes, among other things, the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Business class of 2019, the Ecowas Youth Ambassador class of 2020, and the Advance Media: 100 Most Influential Young Africans class of 2020.
Kehinde Muibi – MKH Investments
Kehinde is the CEO of MKH Investments, a real estate development firm focused on creating long-term real estate opportunities in Nigeria. He is also the CEO of Destiny Crest Limited, a construction company founded on his love of building.
Kehinde rose from humble beginnings to become one of the young successful CEOs thriving and making a difference in the real estate sector. From N150 in a construction firm, he has built a real estate firm with assets worth N10 billion.
He is the driving force behind the Wealthy Place project, which is the largest project owned by a private company. The Wealthy Place Estate is a 450-plot Estate that is positioned to be one of the best opportunities for real estate investors on the Lekki Free Trade Zone Axis.
Kehinde has an OND in mathematics and statistics, as well as a BSc in Business Administration and an MSc in Project Management. He holds an honorary doctorate in Estate Management and Property Development from Europe-American University in the Republic of Panama.
Olawale Ayilara – Landwey
Olawale has over ten years of business experience and has handled transactions totaling $300 million. He is the CEO of Landwey Investments, a real estate development firm dedicated to making real estate investments accessible to all by providing a secure and dependable service. In addition, he co-founded Nigerian Property Investments Group, a real estate platform for Nigerians living abroad.
Wale was named one of Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 in 2018. He is a graduate of Lagos Business School EDC and holds an MBA from the Metropolitan School of Business and Management in the United Kingdom. In addition, he holds Harvard Executive Certification in Real Estate Management, Finance, Design, and Leadership. He is still enrolled as a student at Harvard Business School.
He is the Group CEO of Oxygen Holdings and serves on the boards of over ten high-profile companies. He is also a member of the Sponsors for Young Growing Business Association, a pan-African organization comprised of 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), Africa’s leading real estate brokerage firm with over 20,000 realtors. He also serves as Tribitat Homes’ managing director.
Tony is an experienced and well-known real estate entrepreneur with a focus on real estate marketing, commercial real estate, real estate advisory and strategy, and property development and investment.
He is an expert in small business strategy, sales and negotiations, and business digital strategy. He also has exceptional team-building abilities.
Sijibomi Ogundele
Sujimoto Construction Limited, a trusted one-stop solution provider in Real Estate and Hospitality, is led by Sijibomi Ogundele. He was born on April 8, 1981, into a corporately dynamic family in which my father worked 9 to 5 as a Manager and my mother was a full-time entrepreneur.
Mr. Ogundele, who built his company, Sujimoto Group, into a Luxury Construction powerhouse in Africa in a few years, is focused on constructing extraordinary luxury edifices in premium neighborhoods across Africa.
Sijibomi is unapologetic about his views on the luxury real estate industry and has been dubbed the “Donald Trump of Nigeria,” claiming that the Nigerian luxury real estate industry has yet to realize even 5% of its true potential. This inspired his vision to establish Sujimoto Construction Ltd, which has made impressive strides in just a few years of operation and has been recognized as one of the most dynamic luxury real estate and construction companies in Nigeria, as documented by Channels Television and CNBC, to name a few.
Richard Nyong
Richard Nyong is the CEO of Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, one of Nigeria’s most well-known real estate companies. Nyong, a graduate of Pastor Sam Adeyemi’s Daystar Leadership Academy, serves on the boards of several Fortune 500 companies.
Nyong’s multibillion-dollar Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, which has over a decade of experience in the real estate sector, also consults, develops, and manages prime property for a diverse clientele.
Apart from the well-known Lekki Gardens, the 41-year-old entrepreneur is also the mastermind behind Ikoyi Gardens, Mainland Gardens, Port Harcourt Gardens, and Richards Court estates.
Last year, Dr. Richard Nyong was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) for his significant contribution to making housing more affordable to Nigerians and creating over 250,000 jobs for Nigerians both directly and indirectly across the country.
