10042019 - Politicians, traditional rulers aiding bandits — DEFENCE MINISTER

36 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019
WITH CHARLES KUMOLU
midweekpersonality@gmail.com
08052140865 (sms only)
PERSONALITY ETHICS
Do not fund your
landlord's dreams
The mindset of an
individual plays a key
role in life
Achieving success is
difficult worldwide
One must be
delibrate
Level of discipline
I had a pleasant upbringing.
I am the last of six children.
My grandfather, Joseph
Olatunde Macauley who
was the first Nigerian Lands
Officer and who was also
awarded Member of the British
Empire, MBE, was a disciplinarian.
The trait was
passed on to my father. Such
a background says much
about the level of discipline I
had to learn while growing
up.
My father was a police
officer. I grew up knowing a
lot about structure and
discipline which my mum
tried to instill in my siblings
and I. It is safe for me to say
that discipline was a major
part of my upbringing. Till
date, I regard being admitted
into Kings College, a prestigious
school at that time
,80s, as the high point of my
life. Of course, there was a
low point which was the demise
of one of my brothers.
Getting to work for a wellstructured
financial institution
with customer focus and
innovation as its bedrock had
a huge impact on me. Also,
having an opportunity to set
up a mortgage institution,
working outside Lagos and
outside Nigeria helped me in
learning new cultures and
ways of doing business. They
definitely left a positive impact
on my life and career.
One must be deliberate
I agree that becoming
successful in this country
hardly come easy for most
people, especially those from
less privileged backgrounds.
Attaining success is difficult
worldwide. One must be
deliberate and willing to put
in the hard work required to
get what the person wants in
life. An individual must have
a vision, be disciplined, be
process- driven, be nice to
people, have listening ears,
and have a high sense of
ethics. All these and more
help people to see you differently.
The mindset
Partnerships are also other
steps towards achieving
success. From our experience,
it is easy to say that
partnerships and
collaborations are usually very
difficult. For example, if my
partner, Kazeem Owolabi
and I, weren't like-minded it
would have been difficult for
KAZEEM OWOLABI:
Son of policeman who
achieved success with
discipline
IN a society where discipline is apparently lacking in most public
institutions, the Co-Founder of one of the leading real estate firms in
Nigeria, Refin Homes, Mr. Kazeem Owolabi, narrates how being the
son of a policeman gave him the direction that aided his
professional and personal growth.
us to work together in setting
up and building Refin Homes
Ltd. In life, the mindset of an
individual plays a key role as
it determines the person's
approach to everything. I
have a positive mindset. I see
challenges as learning processes.
The mindset could
also be a stumbling block depending
on the individual. In
addition, when dealing with
people humility is very important.
Working hard
I have a background in
finance with a leading
commercial and mortgage
bank in Nigeria. The
experience made it easier for
me to see the gaps in the
housing industry and the
need to address them by
looking from the buyers' perspective
not just the sellers'
angle. It also gave me the opportunity
to know how to
provide alternative solutions
to the acquisition of houses.
Essentially, I learned how to
do what the customers want
requested based on their capacity.
My partner and I have
41 years experience in the financial
sector. We were able
to see that a lot needs to be
done about bridging the
housing gap in Nigeria.
My interest came as a result
of seeing Nigerians work
so hard and not being able to
own their homes.
That was how the need for
alternative housing solution
that addresses this need was
birthed.
We want to create a culture
of seamless home ownership
and build communities with
proper planning with us at
Refin Homes. It is possible
for someone to own a home
now rather than seeing it as a
retirement plan. We are here
to ensure that Nigerians stop
seeing home ownership as a
retirement project.
Absence of heroes
I think young people can get
heroes if they are sincere,
willing to work hard and seek
knowledge. There are people
out there who have done what
you want to do or something
similar to what you are
looking for. Therefore, it is
important for young people to
work closely with them and
learn from them. I advice
people to have the selfconfidence
and courage to
walk up to successful people
and get the information they
require to succeed. Such people
could also be studied
closely from a distance
Four key areas
It is always important to
look for a mentor, especially
someone who has done what
you are trying to do or
something similar. An
important part of mentorship
is when an instruction given
by a mentor is carried out.
I always encourage people
to get mentors in these four
key areas which include spiritual,
academic, social, and
career. Getting people or
someone grounded in all
these areas would help anyone
a great deal. My love for
discipline, integrity, time
management, and tolerance
contributed a lot to my personal
growth. One other key
thing is dressing for success
at all times.
Tailor-made solutions
We are a real estate,
investment and development
company aimed at providing
activities in the areas we
chose to build. We provide
bespoke housing solutions to
meet needs. We provide tailor-made
solutions and stimulate
the economy. We are
committed to being a leading
influence in the real estate
sector of the economy and
changing the outlook of the
housing industry in Nigeria.
We aim to provide valuefor
services. We build to
specification and we are
known as the community
builders. Our core business
revolves around providing
affordable housing without
compromising. At Refin
Homes, there is home for everyone
based on capacity
and not just a privileged few.
A privileged few
The company was established
to bridge the housing
gap in Nigeria. Refin Homes'
key focus is providing affordable
housing for lowmiddle
income earners without
compromising quality. R
Refin Homes seeks a strategic
positioning as an influential
real estate institution
that solves problems by providing
affordable housing
through innovation. It was
set up to provide simple and
functional housing in the
large and middle markets.
We are known for building
communities. Presently, we
have three ongoing projects
in Lagos. Two are located
along Lekki-Epe Expressway
while one is located in Yaba
area of Lagos.
Funding your
landlord's dream
People opt for renting because
of the general belief
that buying or building a
house is expensive and is
something to be pursued for
retirement. There are numerous
benefits attached to owning
a home.
For example, If you own a
home and you live in it, you
can release equity and invest
in building or buying more
real estate.
When you rent, you fund
your landlord's dream when
it is possible to make yours a
reality.
Most people get their
homes through incremental
building. They acquire land
and build at their pace.
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