by
Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS
We welcome you to the beautiful month of July, 2016. This month is so unique because it divides the year into two equal halves. There are so much expectation from everyone.
When things aren’t too pleasant, the time seems so slow, the converse is also true. To many people, this first six months (January to June) seemed like six years. Many things have happened this year. From the sporadic hike in the price of crude oil to the sudden devaluation of our local currency- the naira against other currencies. From the unhindered vandalism of oil pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers to the instability in the world oil price. From the daily retrenchment of workers due to company’s inability to cope with the economic situation to the decrepit state of the nation’s infrastructure. It’s not all bad news however. In the last six months, we have heard of the victory of our military joint task force against the deadly boko haram. There also seems to be huge success recorded in the fight against corruption and recovery of looted funds, etc.
On individual and corporate level, the first half of the year is also different stroke for different folks. But either way, we need to be reminded that everything in life is in cycle – there’s a time and season for every happenings. Not everyone ‘made it’ during the periods of economic prosperity; whereas, the time some people will ‘hit’ it real big is in the periods of ‘economic difficulty’.
I called a friend who is also a real estate consultant in Lekki a few days ago to ask him how he was coping with the ‘economic crisis’. His response shocked me. Without mincing words, he said he is not experiencing any form of economic crisis. He told me that in the last three weeks, he had concluded four different real estate purchases in the Lekki area of Lagos. He further told me that, as a matter of fact, he is currently rounding up his building project in one of the most sought after estates in Lekki which he intends to sell for N100million upon completion. He spoke with so much conviction that it seemed he had already got a buyer for it.
Honestly, what my friend said got me thinking. Are we not operating in the same economic climate under the same Buhari government?
Over the years, I have come to realise that success/ achievement in life is not a function of ‘where’ you are, but ‘who’ you are. In other words, your failure in life is not a function of your ‘location’, but your ‘personality’. The Nigeria economy is not to be blamed for your circumstances (positive or negative). I know so many people who have risen beyond their country’s economic situation.
The foregoing clearly shows to us that we need a change in our personal psyche and orientation if we must forge ahead in life. Many people believe that their fortune is tied to the fortune of their country or some other countries. Many Nigerians believe they can never ‘make it’ in this country, except they travel to Europe or the United States. Thousands of Nigerians lose their lives every year in the desert and sea just to get to Europe by all means. It is high time we changed our thinking and orientation. A man can never rise beyond the limitation of his thinking.
If truth must be told, the volume of real estate transactions being concluded at this time is very phenomena. There seems to be a sudden crave for fantastic real estate deals. Good properties with good prices in good locations are often sold before completion these days, and we say there’s no money. Big time developers are still building estates; even small and medium scale developers are still buying up available land, they commence construction immediately and work doesn’t stop on their site. Interestingly too, most of these people are not getting finance from the bank nor are they connected to any politician or political group. By the reason of our job, we know them too well; they have been in the business of real estate development for years, whereby they build to sell, and they replicate such projects till date.
If anyone tells you there’s no money, believe it, you’re being deceived. There’s still so much money in this economy, how to get your own share legitimately should be your concern. The fact that you don’t have money doesn’t change the fact that others have it in abundance.
It may feel cool to blame the Buhari government and the ‘change agenda’, but all that will not help until you take full responsibility for your situation. Someone once said that ‘the acceptable of responsibility is the beginning of maturity’. Don’t console yourself that the economy is bad, not everyone is affected.
Most people are currently waiting for the economy to improve before they get down to work. The time is neutral, it is what you do with it that counts. Whether times are good or bad, the clock never stops to tick, and for every second that ticks, the time you have to make impact in life is also reducing. For each day that passes by, everyone is growing older.
In closing, a great man once said that ‘if you fail, it’s your fault, and if you succeed, it’s your fault’, meaning that, ‘no one (including government) is to be blamed for your failure, as no one can claim glory for your success’.
As usual, we want to remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. That is our promise, and will always be.
We wish you the very best in the month of July.
Thank you.
We remain;
Very truly yours,
