Hunger Can Take You into Real Estate, but It Will Not Sustain You – Micheal Okuboye

Micheal Okuboye, founder of Cynosure Realty, has shared a candid reflection on his journey in Nigeria’s real estate sector, warning that while hunger may drive people into the industry, it is a poor and ultimately dangerous long-term guide.

In a widely circulated personal essay published this week, Okuboye traces how financial pressure initially propelled him into real estate in 2022, after years of working in media and finance where effort did not always translate into proportional rewards.
“Hunger wakes you up early. Hunger pushes you to learn fast. Hunger gives you boldness when comfort would have kept you quiet,” he writes. “And yes; hunger took me into real estate.”

With no significant startup capital required, Okuboye saw real estate as a strategic bridge: earn commissions quickly, then return to building his original vision in media. He entered the sector intentionally, viewing it as a means to an end rather than a lifelong calling.

But something shifted.
As he closed deals, conducted site inspections, and witnessed transaction after transaction, Okuboye began noticing systemic issues that troubled him deeply: widespread misinformation, documentation risks, emotional manipulation of buyers, and the quiet erosion of people’s life savings. By early 2025, he confronted a hard question: “Is real estate just about commission? Is it just about transactions? Is it just about money?”

The answer, he concluded, could not be yes; not if he wanted to live consistently with his broader values of impact, systems, people, and legacy.
Okuboye also critiques the pervasive “noise” in Nigeria’s real estate market. Terms such as “luxury,” “premium,” and “smart investment” are thrown around freely, often without substance. He questions the credibility of an industry where labels are advertised into existence rather than earned through consistent quality and transparency.

To illustrate the ethical tension many realtors face, he presents a practical scenario involving two developers offering plots in the same location.

A desperate or commission-driven agent, Okuboye argues, is more likely to steer clients toward the lower-priced option not because it is objectively better, but because it pays more immediately. The “best way” (cheaper price, higher commission) often wins the day, while the “right way” (stronger documentation, lower long-term risk) loses.
“Hunger doesn’t allow patience.
Hunger doesn’t allow ethics. Hunger doesn’t allow systems,” he warns. “When hunger sustains you, you start selling from the standpoint of desperation, not conviction; survival, not responsibility; commission, not consequence.”

That realization prompted a decisive pivot at Cynosure Realty. The company changed its slogan from “Unlocking the Wealth of Nature” to “Doing Real Estate the Right Way” a deliberate rejection of hype, speed, and convenience in favor of diligence, structure, and honesty.
Okuboye notes that some of Cynosure’s affiliates now subscribe to its projects not because of aggressive marketing, but because they trust the process. “That matters more to us than volume,” he writes. “Because when you do real estate the right way, you may grow slower; but you grow stronger.”

In closing, Okuboye offers a clear distinction: “Hunger can bring you into real estate. It brought me. But if hunger controls you, it will eventually destroy your judgment. If purpose guides you, it will sustain your relevance.”
“The best way may win today. But the right way wins for life.”
His essay has sparked discussion among real estate professionals and investors, many of whom say it reflects an uncomfortable but necessary conversation about ethics, transparency, and long-term responsibility in Nigeria’s booming property market.