This is the story of 3 powerful Igbo billionaire friends who play big in the property business in Lagos. These three friends are Chief Emmanuel Okafor, Chief Murphy Osuala and Dr Kennedy Okonkwo. They have all at one point or another lived in Chevy View Estate/Chevron, Lekki, Lagos. The 3 friends also have housing estates there.
You can’t tell the story of Chevy View today without mentioning the three names as some of the big contributors/players, who have invested heavily in that corridor. They are big, wealthy, powerful, influential and have remarkable records in the real estate business.
These three friends speak well of themselves anytime you approach one to speak of the others.
CHIEF EMMANUEL OKAFOR
Let’s start with Chief Emmanuel Okafor, who is the MD/CEO, Marcopolo Properties and the owner of Marcopolo Hotel, opposite Chevron head office in Lekki. Chief Okafor is one of the pioneers, if not the main pioneer, of Chevy View Estate. He started real estate development over 25 years ago. He is like a senior brother to many property developers in that axis. Talk about money, class and influence, this young man has it all.
A few years back, he was conferred a chieftaincy title in his home town, Ojoto, Idemili South, Anambra State. He has one of the biggest titles there.
In a chat with City People a few years back, he told us what stands Marcopolo properties out from other real estate firms. He also revealed what stands him out.
“Like I always say, housing is an essential part of life. It is so important for every human being. So, when I look around, I always think of how I could contribute to human development. This is one of the reasons I went into this business, to do the little I could and to provide accommodation for members of the public. And because it’s something I love so much (real estate), I have been doing it with all passion and commitment. I have been in this game for the past 24 years. I am one of the local pioneers in this business (property business). Before, I used to work with property companies and later started our company. Our brand is something that can be found all over Lagos today. We have a plan to expand to other states. Some of our housing projects are affordable and they are built to taste with quality materials. People are happy with what we are doing. They always send referrals to us and that gives us more strength to do more and also shows that people are happy with what we are doing. And because I’m a man of taste, I always put myself in other people’s shoes, especially, those who want to buy the properties. I always like to build my house to taste, like the house I want to live in.
Talking about Marcopolo Hotel: I have travelled to many places in my life and I always want a good place to stay each time I travel, and that’s what brought the idea of having a world-class hotel, where people will enjoy a world-class infrastructure. The hotel is about 6 years old. People think it’s a hotel of 1 year. We maintain our hotel. That’s why a company like Chevron chose us to service them. Because for you to be able to service Chevron, you must have a very high standard. So, we have been working round the clock to make sure that anybody who comes in contact with our properties would like to come back.”
CHIEF MURPHY OSUALA
The second name on the list is Chief Murphy Osuala, MD/CEO, MPL Empire Homes. He’s one of the biggest property developers in the Lekki/Ajah axis. He started housing development around Chevy View areas when he returned from his base Japan, a few years ago. He builds luxury housing estates only for the rich. A few months back, Forbes Africa honoured him, along with two other people. Although he’s from Imo State, his relationship with his friends is remarkable.
This young man returned to Nigeria about 9 years ago from Japan to redefine the real estate sector, and today, he has been able to provide beautiful homes to hundreds of people, especially celebrities who find his luxury houses attractive.
A few years ago, he told City People that he returned to Nigeria to improve the sector.
“What I’m doing here is a blueprint of what we learned in Japan. We are picking up the way we do things in Japan and trying to duplicate it here because Japan is a very wonderful place when you think of construction and real estate generally. I’m doing my best to replicate the same standard here in Nigeria. So, whatever we are doing, is what we learned in Japan”.
“I was very much involved. If I start mentioning cities, you probably might not know them. Our real estate firm was involved in so many housing developments in Japan. We did very well, even the government recognized our effort. So, when I looked at the development of Lagos State and its environment, I deemed it fit to come down to invest and try to develop Lagos.”
Dr KENNEDY OKONKWO
Dr Kennedy Okonkwo is from Anambra State. He’s the CEO of NEDCOMOAKS Limited, a real estate development firm with many subsidiaries.
Dr Kennedy hails from Ojoto, Anambra State. He was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, where he had his primary and secondary school education. He attended the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology and the Lagos State University, where he obtained his Masters in Business Administration.
In a chat with the Tribune newspaper, he said his turning point was when he met his wife.
“I think the turnaround started when I met my wife because it was that time I started doing some building at Oniru on a build-and-transfer basis while working. So, when I did some of that development, I built bungalows at Oniru and started getting rents from there. So, it was about the same time I met my wife. And for about a year, I did not have a job because I decided not to work anymore so I could focus on my real estate business”.
A few years back, Forbes Africa honoured him for his contribution to real estate. He is the developer of Victoria Crest Homes on Orchid Road. VCH has about 5 phases on Orchid Road alone, while his wife (Mrs) Ichechi Okonkwo is the brainbox behind all these laudable projects.
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