A public servant and journalist, Adebola Ogunbayo, has disclosed that she ventured into the real estate business without investing any capital of her own and has since earned over N7 m in commission.
Speaking during a tour of one of the Pelican Brief projects in the Kobape area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Ogunbayo revealed that her journey into real estate began almost by chance in 2014.
She narrated, “I met the CEO of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Dr Babatunde Adeyemo, who introduced me to the real estate business while they both served as members of the Press Week Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State chapter.
She noted that Adeyemo consistently encouraged her to invest in his real estate projects over the years.
“I couldn’t have believed that I would be called a realtor today, particularly considering the fact that I started with zero capital. We met as colleagues under the Ogun NUJ in 2014. We were both members of the 2014 Press Week Committee, and up to that point, I didn’t know he was a realtor. I just saw him as a journalist.
“After the Press Week, he continually sent WhatsApp broadcast messages to me asking me to subscribe to the Pelican Valley Estate project, but I couldn’t subscribe then. Still, I kept on following the story even though the cost of property in the estate kept increasing,” she said.
“When he launched Pelican Brief, I made enquiries and expressed interest, but I couldn’t finance it then. I assured him that I would subscribe to and own land and a house in the project.”
Despite being unable to invest personally at the time, Ogunbayo decided to recommend the project to others, a move that truly signalled the beginning of her real estate journey.
“He lectured me on how to canvass for subscriptions and promised to give me commission, which is even higher than the commission other firms give out. I have brought people to subscribe here, and we are presently at one of my clients’ projects. Having earned more than N7m in commission, which I reinvested in a property of my own, with the N7m commission I have been able to recoup, I have used it as a full payment for my own project. He usually calls to tell me I have a commission here and there, but I asked him to hold on to them. I have now committed the commission to my project,” she said.
Reacting to her story, Adeyemo said her story was a vindication of his long-held belief that anyone can start a career in real estate without capital, as long as they have integrity and goodwill
