Nigeria at 66: Abdullahi Yusuf Kurfi on Building Real Estate for the Long Term

As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence, conversations about the country’s future often return to familiar questions: What should we build? Where should we invest? And what kind of country are we preparing for the next generation?

For Abdullahi Yusuf Kurfi, CEO of 1010 Group, these questions are closely connected to the way Nigerians think about real estate.

Property is often discussed simply in terms of buying land, developing houses and earning returns. But Kurfi believes real estate should also be viewed through a longer lens: as part of how cities grow, wealth is preserved and communities take shape.

“Real estate is not only about what a property is worth today. You have to think about the people who will use it, the environment around it and what that location could become over time,” he says.

It is a perspective shaped by his experience across real estate, finance, investment and contracts.

Through 1010 Group, Kurfi has been involved in building a real estate business focused on identifying opportunities, developing properties and creating value for clients and investors. His approach places emphasis on understanding an opportunity properly before committing capital to it.

In a country where rapid urbanisation continues to create demand for housing, commercial spaces and infrastructure, he believes the private sector has an important role to play.

But growth, in his view, must be accompanied by greater professionalism.

For investors, this means looking beyond excitement around a location and paying closer attention to documentation, value, development potential and the people behind a transaction.

For developers, it means thinking beyond selling property to building organisations and projects capable of creating lasting value.

And for the wider industry, it means developing stronger systems, transparency and standards that can increase confidence in Nigerian real estate.

As Nigeria enters another year of independence, Kurfi sees an opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to think beyond immediate returns.

The decisions being made today about land, housing, infrastructure and investment will influence what Nigerian cities look like decades from now.

That makes real estate more than a commercial opportunity. It also makes it a responsibility.

“We are not only investing in property. In many ways, we are investing in what Nigeria will look like tomorrow,” Kurfi says.

For him, that is where the bigger opportunity lies: building patiently, investing thoughtfully and creating assets that continue to hold value long after the original transaction is complete.

At 66, Nigeria remains a country with enormous challenges, but also enormous possibilities.

And perhaps one of the responsibilities of its entrepreneurs is to ensure that what they build today is still creating value when the country celebrates many more years of independence.