The Nigeria Housing Awards 2021 is set to promote excellence while championing the entrepreneurial innovative works of developers and those in the housing value chain.
Meet Nominees in
REAL ESTATE PERSON OF THE YEAR CATEGORY
Yemi Idowu
Yemi Idowu is a global entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist with business interest in various sectors of the economy, including Energy, Sports, Automobile, Real Estate as well as Oil & Gas.
Mr. Idowu is an accomplished visionary and businessman having served on the board of various companies. He founded Aircom Nigeria Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading infrastructure development companies in 1992 and serves as the Managing Director till date.
He is a member of the Institute of Personnel Management, United Kingdom. After his university education, he worked as a Business Development Manager for Africa and the Middle East at Anglo European Equipment, London.
Until July 2014, Yemi Idowu served as a non executive Director with Sterling Bank PLC from its inception in 2005 and was a onetime Chairman of Sterling Capital as well as being a non executive Director at NBM Bank between 1999 and 2005.
Yemi Idowu also sat on the governing council of the Bank Directors Association of Nigeria as its General Secretary between 2009 and 2014. Yemi also serves as Chairman Leyland Nigeria (Nigeria’s largest indigenous automobile assembly plant) and is a Director of the Lagos Junior League and the current Chairman of Nathaniel Boys Football Club.
Mr. Idowu is very passionate about sports and has been involved in sports philanthropy and grassroots sports development for many years. As a result of his dedication and commitment to sports development, he was appointed Board Chairman of the Nigerian Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM) on the 6th of November 2012.
Yemi has attended several professional development courses around the world including the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program, Mr. Idowu also holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounts and Financial Analysis from the Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.
King Odeh Mohammed Adah
King Odeh Mohammed Adah, Billionaire Real Estate Mogul and Founder of Ochacho Real Homes’ LTD. He was born in Edo State, Nigeria.
King Odeh Mohammed Adah was born on the 25th of August 1976.
The Benue State-born philanthropist is one of the most notable socialites in Nigeria. He built his reputation in real estate and other businesses and can be described as a serial entrepreneur who has made many impacts in the real estate industry and society as a whole, many people find it difficult to believe that King Moe Adah is only 44 years old.
Umar Abdullahi
Umar Abdullahi is Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cosgrove Investment Limited, a real estate company focused on leveraging technology to offer a superlative living experience for home owners and outstanding Return on Investment (ROI) to investors.
Cosgrove stands out as a leading real estate solutions provider in Nigeria owing to their value proposition which sees the fusion of automation and technology to residential property development. Abdullahi has created a new standard in real estate development with the inclusion of premium and smart features such as Fibre-to-the-home, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Smart Surveillance System with Facial Recognition and more.
Defying the global pandemic and the massive layoffs of workers around the world, Cosgrove created new jobs, installed new building infrastructure and delivered premium homes as well as a new estate smart estate in Abuja. This way, Abdullahi generated a counter cyclical force around his business operations in a period of a general global economic decline.
Cosgrove also launched three new projects in the year enabling it to attain a new millage in the number of premium homes in development. Its record shows more than 1,000 premium homes under construction in the FCT alone
Adebola Sheidu
Founder and Chairman of Brains and Hammers Ltd., Adebola is a Graduate of Law and a Seasoned entrepreneur with over a decade’s construction experience in Nigeria.
Mr. Adebola Sheidu, Chairman/CEO, Brains & Hammers Ltd, heads a company that designs and builds high-end residential and commercial buildings. The business focuses on infrastructures, facility management, luxury housing, affordable housing and hotels. He is on the driving seat of one of the most advancing real estate companies the Nigeria.
Sheidu has an ultimate goal for his firm and that is to ensure that each customer gets the best housing solution and is satisfied with what he gets for his money. This has taken the housing delivery business in Nigeria to a new level that has ushered in a great deal of confidence and integrity.
He is one of the main drivers of a massive transformation that has happened and still happening in the real estate industry. Property demands keep going the way of modernity and high-tech and Sheidu has positioned himself to deliver dream houses and properties to Nigerians.
He has served on the Boards of several companies and has vast experience in all matters relating to Turnkey Real Estate Consultancy.
Adebola is also currently Executive Chairman, Luxury Heights and Towers Ltd.; Director, Check Inn Hotels (Nig.) Ltd; as well as Chairman, Legend Concepts and Konsults.
Mr Akinwale Ishola
Distinguished Sustainability Innovator award in African Mortgage Banking Excellence!
Akinwale Ishola, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Plc, is set to receive the prestigious Distinguished Sustainability Innovator Award at the 2021 Nigeria Housing Awards (NHA). Selected from a competitive field of over 100 candidates, Ishola is being recognized for transforming mortgage banking by introducing comprehensive sustainability practices into African mortgage systems through green mortgage options, energy-efficient housing loans, and climate-conscious lending practices.
His leadership has delivered measurable results, including a 20% increase in brand awareness through strategic sustainability communication, a 15% reduction in the bank’s energy consumption and carbon footprint, and a 15% annual increase in green financing product uptake.
Ishola is being honored for advancing green building initiatives by championing energy-efficient housing that is changing industry standards across Africa.
The award particularly highlights his success in making eco-housing accessible to average consumers through innovative financing models that have expanded homeownership opportunities for first-time buyers while demonstrating that environmentally responsible housing can remain affordable. His ability to balance ecological considerations with economic accessibility is establishing new benchmarks for corporate sustainability in African financial institutions, effectively reshaping mortgage banking approaches to environmental responsibility and sustainable development throughout the continent.
Mustapha Njie
Mustapha Njie is a Gambian real estate mogul, with over 30 years proven experience in real estate. He is the Founder and CEO of TAF Africa Global, a pan African real estate company that has built homes across eight African countries with dominance in Nigeria and The Gambia. Growing up from a small and humble background, Njie Founded Taf Africa Global in 1990 with the goal to be the leading property developer in Africa. In 2018, TAF redefined their vision to develop one million quality homes between 2018 and 2038.
In 2013, TAF Africa Nigeria homes, a subsidiary of TAF Africa Global went into a joint partnership with the government of Rivers state to develop and transform 40 hectares of “swampy” and “inaccessible” land into homes.
The Gambian born businessman with his team of professionals left footprints that will stay forever in Delta state, the Southern part of Nigeria. They transformed the inaccessible area into a luxury masterpiece called the RIIVTAF Golf estate while delivering the project on time.
Mustaha Njie is also an award winning entrepreneur who has been awarded and recognised beyond the borders of the Gambia. In 2017, he was awarded as Entrepreneur of the year(West Africa) at the CNBC/All Africa Business Leaders Awards, 2011, he received Honorable Businessman of the year by the Economic Community of West African states(ECOWAS). His latest recognition is at the Nigerian housing awards, an annual housing industry event which recognise “firms and individuals who are setting trends in innovation and construction.He was awarded as the 2020 real estate person of the year award in Nigeria.
Olawale Opayinka
MD/CEO of Eko Development Company,
He is a professional actuary and an alumnus of the University of Lagos with vast experience in the financial and real estate industry. He is the brain behind azuritowers – The Tallest Residential Tower in North, East and West Africa. Consisting of 3 magnificent high-rise, with 2 residential buildings and one office tower making up a world-class style of luxury in the Marina, District of Ekoatlantic.
Oba Adetola Emmanuel King
Dr. Adetola Olaniyi Olaonipekun Emmanuel King was born and bred in the great city of Ibadan. He had his primary education in Ibadan Municipal Government (IMG) Primary School, Molete, Ibadan.
He attended Federal Government College, Odogbolu and Remo Secondary School, Shagamu for his post primary education. Upon completion of his secondary education, he attended the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Lagos where he obtained the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Estate Management and Valuation. Being a man with an insatiable quest for knowledge, he proceeded to the Premier University of Ibadan where he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Housing Development and Management.
Oba Adetola holds a Doctorate Degree in Housing Development and Management from the European American University (HONs) and a MBA from the Metropolitan School of Business Management, United Kingdom.
Dr. Emmanuel King’s passion for real estates and housing developments led him to found Adron Homes & Properties Limited in 2012.
Adron Homes has since grown to a renowned multi-billion-naira real estate firm with many subsidiaries across the globe and is arguably one of the leading employers of labor not just in Nigeria but in Africa. With over 24 estates within six years and continuous expansion within the shores of the African continent.
Dr. Emmanuel King is indeed a trailblazer and a game changer in the real Estate sector.
Oba Adetola Emmanuel King is a member of various professional bodies including; Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Managers (FISM) Ghana-Nigeria, and the Institute of Purchasing & Marketing Consultants, Nigeria (IPMC). He is a Member of the Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and Estate Developers Association (REDAN) among others.
Sijibomi Ogundele
Sijibomi Ogundele is the founder and lead partner of the Sujimoto group of companies, a multinational conglomerate that deals in construction, real estate, and energy. Sijibomi Ogundel is also often referred to as the “Donald Trump of Nigeria” due to his avid interest in building luxury real estate apartments.
He is regarded as one of the youngest billionaires in Nigeria and has been recognized by Forbes Africa as a brave young entrepreneur.
Sijibomi Ogundele was born on April 8, 1983, in Agege, Lagos, Nigeria; a largely non-affluent part of Lagos.
Sijibomi Ogundele was opportune to school in Anglican Ruskin University in the UK where he studied law. Sijibomi’s success was not just handed to him, he had to work his way up the ladder.
He started out his career in risk assessment in 2004, where he moved up to lending in SME’s and then set up Moto finance in Paris which later branched out into Accra, Dubai, Madrid, and New York City, achieving significant Industry Milestones, then later moving into the Nigerian real estate industry.
Sijibomi Ogundele founded Sujimoto in 2013, which he named after a Japanese university professor who he attributes a large part of his success to. He identifies the man as the individual who shifted his paradigm and helped him to become the man he is today.
Sujimoto was founded in partnership with the real estate mogul, Mr Yazeed Alrahji, the chairman of DAERM real estate investment company, Saudi Arabia. His vision was simple, “to redefine luxury living by exceeding all expectations”.
Opeoluwa Kusa
Opeoluwa Kusa is the Chief Operating Officer at Industrialized Mass Housing Development Company based in Lekki, Lagos which is into the creation and sales of affordable homes in order to bridge the housing deficit in Lagos State.
she is an Associate member of Chartered Institute of Personnel, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management as well as Associate member Human Resource management.
A graduate of university of Ilorin where he bagged B.sc degree in Business Administration in 1997. She had her secondary education at Government Girls College Sagamu (SSCE) from 1986 – 1991.
Yinka Ogunsulire
Yinka Ogunsulire is a real estate professional with a background in investment and development. Prior to joining Orange Island Development Company, she served as CEO of Heirs Real Estate and of ARM Properties Plc. She also worked with Capital Alliance Nigeria as a Vice President in charge of the real estate fund and managed the property portfolios of National Bank of Nigeria and UBA Trustees Limited. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
She holds an M. Phil in Land Management from the University of Reading, England.
Yinka Ogunsulire is a member of the Board of Directors at Afriland Properties Plc. She is regarded as one of the leading property development professionals in Nigeria.
Udo Maryanne Okonjo
Udo Maryanne Okonjo has a keen interest in Inspired Leadership, Business growth and Real Estate as a tool for growing Gross National Wealth. Her background includes a solid track record in Corporate & Commercial Law at Masters Level and Partnership at leading law firms, along with Business and Brand Development, Strategic Marketing, Complex Stakeholder Negotiations, Ethics and Governance. A trusted real estate advisor, and wealth strategist to the top 1% of Nigerian Executive and Corporate Investors, she is popularly referred to as an Igniter, Mentor and Influencer among emerging entrepreneurs and professionals. She regularly key notes on real estate trends, creating wealth through real estate and entrepreneurship, bridging the investment gap for women and millennials amongst other topics. Her strongest passion is raising Purpose driven, Prominent and Profitable leaders through transformational personal and professional development. She is the founder of Inspired Women of Worth, and Ignite Africa a platform that curates and facilitates the Go Mega Business Growth Masterclass and Ignite the Champion Within (an experiential and transformative Leadership and Entrepreneurship Series) for high achieving and emerging leaders.
The awards ceremony will hold on the 10th of December, 2021 Voting for the different categories began on 0ctober 5. You can participate by visiting
5 Things You Should Know About Nigeria Housing Awards (NHA)*
The Nigeria Housing Award (NHA) is the most prestigious awards ceremony in the Nigeria housing and construction industry. The award which will hold its 5th edition on the 8th December 2021 at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja has become a source of pride for stakeholders in the real estate business, companies and associated brands.
Recipients of the award are usually the most deserving as the award is only given on merit based assessment.
Below are the 5 important things you should know about this amazing event.
- The award is annually powered by Housing Development Advocacy Network in collaboration with various professional bodies in the housing industry with the support of housing program on AIT and TVC. It is widely recognized and endorsed as the premier and biggest awards ceremony in the sector.
- One of the strongest visions behind the organization of the award is to recognize and promote excellence in the Nigeria housing and construction sector. The award is establishing a culture of excellence, healthy competitiveness and the need to sustain standards and ethical practices. The award now prides itself as a serious advocate for the provision of mass affordable housing in Nigeria. The award promotes innovation and the need for alternative solutions to perennial housing problems in Nigeria.
- The award has honoured a lot of important public and private sector personalities like the former Senate President on Nigeria, Bukola Saraki; the present Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the present Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Ganduje; the former Governor of Bauchi state, Mohammed Abubakar and many others for their important contributions to housing development in Nigeria.
- The award ceremony is a high level get together of the biggest names and brands in the Nigerian housing sector. Such rare moment affords stakeholders to dialogue, network and be inspired to collaborate on bigger projects. It is a must be event for housing sector stakeholders and brands.
- The Nigeria Housing Awards are decided based on public voting and not influenced by anyone. The nominees are thoroughly selected by the organizers after touring sites and projects before they are announced for public voting.
