Honourary Doctorate:  Standing Ovation for Dr. Okonkwo

“He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense and without understanding…. From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hands shall come back to him as a harvest….The slothful man does not catch his game or roast it once he kill it, but the diligent man get precious possessions. (Proverbs 12: 11, 14, 27, Amplifier Version)”

 The above Bible verses give clear understanding on diligence and slothfulness and rewards for both diligent and slothful man. This shows clearly that for every human being there is always a reward for any action we take in life whether positive or negative. While some have been rewarded in the past or would likely be rewarded in the future for doing good things in life, some have been condemned or will also be condemned in the future for whatever they do in their lifetime.

In Nigeria today, there are millions of businessmen, philanthropists, captains of industries and entrepreneurs, but one man that has distinguished himself as a example to his generation and incoming generations by virtues of his contribution to his society, community, state and Nigeria at large is Kennedy Okonkwo, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nedcomoaks Limited; one of the leading real estate companies engaged in the acquisition, development and management of properties across Nigeria

Okonkwo will today Saturday September 24, conferred with a honourary doctorate award by European-American University Commonwealth of Dominica, in Lome, the capital of Togo. The honour coming from a foreign citadel of knowledge is a proof that Okonkwo’s recognition goes beyond the shores of Nigeria, which shows clearly that the labour of a dedicated, hardworking, tireless, committed and diligent man to whatever he is committed to would always be rewarded no matter how long it might take.

Okonkwo is a seasoned real estate developer, holding about 12 years of remarkable and rich experience in the construction field. He built his first property in 2004 and since then he has grown to become a major player in the real estate development sector with completed projects of over 600 family dwelling units.

Okonkwo, a young passionate entrepreneur is an example of committed and passionate Nigerians who are doing their best to add value to their immediate environment and the nation at large, considering some remarkable things he has done, especially in the real estate sector to make life comfortable for many people.

The Nedcomoaks Limited boss through his company has contributed immensely in solving housing problems in Nigeria by assisting many people to become landlords at affordable rates. Since Nedcomoaks Limited came into existence, Okonkwo has used his wealth of experience and managerial skills to work very hard to ensure that the company becomes one of the leading property development and management companies in West Africa.

In Nigeria today, there are many real estate and property companies but Nedcomoaks Limited is special because of the unique way the organisation is being managed by Okonkwo. One of the unique things about the company is that its properties are highly diversified with respect to design and styles. It also take account of each customer’s budget, timeframe, social status and the opportunities available and pragmatic approach to prioritizing customers’ specific needs to give them the value they deserve.

Looking at Okonkwo’s antecedents and contribution to his immediate environment, community, state and Nigeria at large, there is no doubt that the honourary doctorate degree being bestowed on the CEO of Nedcomoaks Limited is well deserves and it shows clearly that Okonkwo is a good Nigerian ambassador, which can be emulate, especially by Nigerian youths and upcoming generations.

As an entrepreneur Okonkwo has contributed immensely in giving hope to many people, especially those in need of property of their own to have a roof on their head. His company since its inception have built best properties at affordable prices in different parts of Lagos State, especially in highbrow areas like Lekki to satisfy his clients’ tastes. Some of the massive projects built by Nedcomoaks Limited to solve accommodation problem of thousands of people in different parts of Lagos State are; Ryans Court, Kiryan Court, Dream Court I-IV, Crystal Dreams Apartment, Crystal Court, Sandton Court and Victoria Crest I.

Okonkwo through the development of some of his properties, apart from building befitting and affordable homes for his clients have also provided employment for thousands of people, directly and indirectly, especially those working different sites and estates built by Nedcomoaks Limited.

–Igboanugo, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Waterstones Properties Limited, writes from Lagos.  

Okonkwo and his company have touched many lives through diverse Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to impact positively on the society, especially people of his community and Anambra State. He has amongst others a scholarship programme at Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, by paying the West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees of some indigent students in various secondary schools every year. His motive of embarking on the scholarship programme was because of his firm belief that educating the youths is crucial to building the future of the country since youths are regarded as future leaders of any nation.

As part of putting smile on the faces of many people, especially the needy and the poor in the society, Okonkwo also have a widow empowerment programme where he usually releases funds to the widows, to help them do little businesses and sustain their families. He also has a foundation that distributes food items every Easter, in commemoration of his late father who died on April 4, 1993.

Apart from touching the lives of many people in his state of origin, Okonkwo has also extended his philanthropy gestures to people in Lagos through several youth empowerment schemes. He has provided start-up capitals to trade to many youths to kick-start there small and medium scales business. He has also given out tricycles to some youths to help them channel their energy into positive use, while many students in school enjoy Okonkwo’s company scholarship programme as their tuition fees are being paid by Nedcomoaks Limited.

His passion for youth empowerment and development is as a result of its conviction that Nigerian youths must stop depending on government. He believes strongly that depending on government is killing the potential of Nigerians who can do very well on their own if they establish their business. And it was this resolve that made him to empower many youths for them to become their own boss rather than depending on government or public for employment.

Okonkwo, hails from Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He had his primary education at the Lady Lak Primary Institute in Sabo Yaba, Lagos and proceeded to Mobolaji Bank Anthony High School, Lagos for post-primary education. Okonkwo in his quest for knowledge attended the premier University of Ibadan and graduated in 2000 with degree in Psychology. He also acquired Masters in Marketing at the Lagos State University (LASU).

He was once an Employee of Chinto Technology Limited (an IT firm); XL Human Resource Outsourcing, where he rose through the ranks. He also worked at Amazon Energy as the Business Strategy Advisor to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the organisation. While working at Amazon Energy, Okonkwo he saw the need to be his own boss and that strong conviction made him incorporated Nedcomoaks Limited and not too long, he resigned from Amazon Energy to nurture his company. Today, Nedcomoaks Limited, which started as a small company that used to operate from the briefcase doing build, operate and transfer properties have grown into becoming a multi-million company and provided employments to put food on the table of many Nigerians.

Despite various challenges facing many businesses in Nigeria, especially in the real estate sector, Okonkwo survived where many of his contemporaries failed and his success can be attributed to his commitment and dedication in ensuring that the interest of his clients matter most to him than his personal satisfaction and interest. Okonkwo in his quest to provide the best for his clients went extra mile to ensure that his clients get value for their money in terms of structures and infrastructures. This was one of the strategies of his success in business and life.

Without any iota of doubt, Okonkwo, has carved a niche for himself, therefore the  honourary doctorate degree been conferred on him by the European-American University Commonwealth of Dominica, on Saturday September 24, 2016, is a proof that he has contributed his quota to development of mankind and put smiles on faces of many people.

Congratulations to a friend and professional colleague.

*Igboanugo, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Waterstones Properties Limited, writes from Lago

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