… Also, Pelican Valley CEO Urges FG, States To Collaborate With Private Estate Owners To Tackle Housing Deficit
The founder of a charitable foundation (Oko Opo Foundation) and the CEO of foremost real estate firm in Nigeria, Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Ambassador (Dr.) Babatunde Adeyemo has emphasised the importance of service to humanity.
Ambassador Adeyemo said that the best way to sustain one’s wealth and multiplies it is by adding value to the life of others.
The ECOWAS Youth Ambassador said this could be done by building enduring institutions.
He stated this on Wednesday during a courtesy visit of the leadership of Federated Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Council at his resident located at Laderin, Abeokuta, the state capital.
The multi – award winning realtor disclosed that he had initially planned to launch the foundation in September 2023 but later shifted it to December 2023, to ensure an effective and robust take – off after launch.
He vowed to put the larger percentage of his wealth in the foundation, stressing that his children will also inherit the foundation Gods willing.
He added that out of the two ways to impact on the life of people is to be either a public office holder as a politician or through a charitable foundation but he elected to take the path of charity through Oko Opo Foundation.
“I have come to realize that all this wealth we are building, the only way to sustain them is by building institutions and adding value to people’s life.
“Oko Opo foundation is strategic plan. Have always prayed that God makes me big and if I eventually become big that greater percentage of my wealth is going to the needy. Because I think I don’t need much to survive.
“I believe the foundation will be big as am going to be, God’swilling. We are compiling list of vulnerable and i believe i actually wanted to launch the foundation September 11 before shifted to December, so that I can have more time to plan and make it a little bit colourful and be able to touch those people that I want to touch. Once we kick-start we’re not stopping.
“Oko opo foundation is a foundation that comes to lime light out of my passion to add value to people’s life. Have said earlier that , there’s no amount of money that you can have that can secure the future of your children.
“The foundation, that’s where am going to exercise my entrepreneur and developmental skills. I am putting the whole of my body,heart and soul and am going to groom my children to take over from me .
“It’s not going to be a fail project by the grace of God. I am already grooming them so that they can inherit Oko Opo Foundation and take it up where am going to stop from.
“Oko Opo is a strategically designed platform to pull a significant part of my investment to help the widows. There are some widows by the virtue of their husband being dead, they are homeless .
“We want to look at those that are homeless, been disturbed about housing embarrassment, I would like to take care of those people depending on their peculiar needs.
“I realized that the two ways that you can touch people’s life in a country like Nigeria is number one maybe be into politics or you set up a foundation to take care of people but I don’t want to do politics . I’ll rather use all i have, give it out than going into politics. I am not saying politicians are bad people but I don’t want to do politics, it’s my own personal opinion an conviction, though i may i might add value through appointments if need be.
“Oko Opo foundation, we are starting from Ogun State, we are going to key into some of the strategy of Agbala Gabriel , it’s a good thing that he’s doing and I would like to emulate a part of that .
“We are going to have a whole lots of social media present, the different between us and Agbala Gabriel is that we are putting a whole lot of our personal funds into it.
“Once the people see sincerity of purpose in what you’re doing, and they know you’re not doing it to enrich yourself people will be willing to be part of it, we still have a lot of people that want to be part of the foundation.”
Earlier, when Adeyemo received members of the Consolidated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun State council in his office at the Pelican Valley Estate Laderin, Abeokuta, he urged government to collaborate with private estate owners to address the housing deficit in Nigeria.
He said with the rising population of the country, federal government must partner with Private housing investors in order to address housing deficit.
Adeyemo lamented the current state of the economy, and pleaded with the Federal government to urgently find solution to the hardship in the country.
He explained that housing cannot be affordable in the bad economy, insisting that Nigerians would continue to bear the brunt.
The realtor said that government at all levels must encourage investors with easy access to land, urging government must think out of the box.
He said “One of the most important thing I believe the government need to take care is the economy, you have to make the economy friendly.
Federal government needs to work on bad economy, without good economy housing cannot be affordable, housing cannot be affordable in a bad economy.
If the government gives the land free of charge, government will not subsidize the price of cement, the price of the blocks, cost of labour, the cost of iron , the cost of sand so if those commodities are very expensive, how do you expect housing to be affordable?
He said, “We really need to work on the economy and it’s very important the government works on the economy and I believe the government needs to encourage private investors, we are not saying that government should give the real estate investors land free of charge but let them have access to land because that’s one of the major factors of production in the housing business,” he added.
According to him, “We can’t subsidizes everything but let them have access to lands because government cannot do it alone. Real estates business is capital intensive and you expect a state government to use all her resources to provide housing for the people”.
“It is achievable in the sense that if the government could partner all the private investors. Government cannot do it alone. Take a look at the economy presently, according to IMF ( International Monetary Fund), Nigeria total revenue is not enough to service our debt not to talk of taking care of the current expenditure and some other expenditures. It is very difficult that’s why we go for loans, and the loans is becoming too expensive, unbearable so the government need to encourage private investors for the benefits of the masses,” he stated.
On how to avert pending flood, Adeyemo advised excessive tree planting as well as improved public re-orientation on building houses with proper layout.
Adeyemo while speaking on land grabbing, urged land owners to take possession of their land, saying no Land grabber would approach a land with structure on it.
He described the Chapel as his family, commending the leadership of the body for visiting him.
Earlier speaking, the Chapel Chairman, Olusegun Olukoga, said the visit was borne out of the desire of the new leadership to seek for collaboration with relevant stakeholders in order to foster unity towards collective self reliance and development of the society.
Olukoga said the chapel was proud of the success recorded by Pelican Valley in the housing sector, saying his success in the housing sector was a motivation for his members.
He said the body is ready to collaborate with the real estate company on ways to empower his members.
The Chapel commended him for his continuous support for the body.
He said “We are really proud of you and your success in the Housing sector is indeed motivation to our members.
We are here to seek for collaboration that will foster unity towards collective development of our members and the society at large.”
