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Africa Housing Awards

Hall of Fame

The Most Prestigious Housing Awards In Africa.

Affordable Housing
Hall of Fame

The Affordable Housing Hall of Fame, is a special part of the annual Africa Housing Awards, was introduced in 2021 by the Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) to recognise individuals in the housing industry, both living and dead, whose impact, innovation, and dedication have changed the face of housing for the better, ensuring the provision of affordable housing for Nigerians.

Fadunsi

Late Alhaji Lateef Jakande

(23 July 1929 - 11 February 2021)

Gilbert Hughes joined Hub Constructon in 1955 as an estimator/project manager, after previously working months as a laborer.

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Fadunsi

Late S.O Fadahunsi

(March 17, 1920 - August 12, 2014)

Chief Samuel Olatunde Fadahunsi, CON was born on March 17, 1920, in Ora, a village, near Ila-Orangun, into a well known Ijesa family with royal lineages on both sides.

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Late Alex Ekwueme

(Oct. 21, 1932 - November 19, 2017)

Born October 21, 1932, at Nawfija, in what is now Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Dr. Alex Ekwueme would have been 90 years old but he passed on

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Late Fortune

Late Fortune Ebie

(October 26, 1934 - June 4, 2017)

Late Sir Fortune Ebie was born on October 26, 1934 to the family of Reverend Samuel Obute Ebie, and was among Nigeria’s first generation of Estate Surveyors and Valuers.

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Kontagora

Late Mamman Kontagora

Born on April 20, 1944, Kontagora was among the first intake of officers when the Nigerian Defense Academy opened in 1964. Kontagora was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in the

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Late Prof. Akin Mabogunje

Late Prof. Akin Mabogunje

Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje was born some close to 70 years ago to the late Pa Joseph Omotunde Mabogunje, a retired UAC official, and MaDAM Janet

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Rev. Ugochukwu Chime

Rev. Ugochukwu Chime

Mr. Ugochukwu Obiora Chime is the Group Managing Director/CEO of Copen Group, which has diverse interests in physical development consultancy, real estate, construction,

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Ahmed Dangiwa

Ahmed Musa Dangiwa was the immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria with over 30 years in the real estate and infrastructure development

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Late Alhaji Lateef Jakande
(23 July 1929 - 11 February 2021)

Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande was born July 23, 1929 in the Epetedo area of Lagos Island, Lagos. He studied at a Lagos public school at Enu-Owa, Lagos Island, then at Bunham Memorial Methodist School, Port Harcourt. He studied briefly at King’s College, Lagos in 1943. He then enrolled at Ilesha Grammar School in 1945 where he edited a literary paper called The Quarterly Mirror. In 1949, Jakande began a career in journalism first in Daily Times before he joined the Nigerian Tribune in 1953 where he was appointed editor-in-chief by the Publisher, Obafemi Awolowo.

The journalist became the governor of Lagos State from 1979-1983. Encouraged by Awolowo, he ran for election as Governor of Lagos in 1979 on the platform of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) defeating his opponents Adeniran Ogunsanya of NNP and Sultan Ladega Adeniji Adele of National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and was subsequently sworn in as Governor. Jakande established John West Publications and began to publish The Lagos News. He served as the first President of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

He introduced housing and educational programmes targeting the poor, building new neighborhood primary and secondary schools as well as providing free primary and secondary education. After being freed, he accepted the position of Minister of Works under the Late Sani Abacha military regime, which earned him some criticism. He claimed that he had accepted the post under pressure from MKO Abiola and other progressive leaders. He was happily married to Alhaja Abimbola Sikirat and survived by children.

Late S.O Fadahunsi
(March 17, 1920 - August 12, 2014)

Chief Samuel Olatunde Fadahunsi, CON was born on March 17, 1920, in Ora, a village, near Ila-Orangun, into a well known Ijesa family with royal lineages on both sides. Before his death on August 12, 2014, he contributed immensely to the development of the engineering profession in Nigeria. Chief Fadahunsi was one of Nigeria’s most accomplished and celebrated civil engineers. In a public career spanning over 50 years after graduating in England in 1954 as a civil engineer, Chief Fadahunsi established for himself an enviable reputation as Nigeria’s leading water engineer.

He initiated and was actively involved professionally in the building of water dams and supply all over the old Western Region. After his primary school education in Ilesa, Osogbo, and Ibadan, Chief Fadahunsi’s early promise and brilliance took him to the prestigious Government College, Ibadan, in 1937, where he joined other equally brilliant Ijesa students. Among these were the late Professor Olu Mabayoje, and the outstanding physician, the late Dr. Timothy M. Aluko. He left the Western Region public service to join the newly established Lagos Executive Development Board (LEDB) in 1959, first as a deputy, and later as the CEO of the agency. It was in this capacity that his reputation for professional diligence and competence soared beyond the confines of the old Western Region. It was under his watch at the LEDB that the reclamation of Victoria Island, the demolition of slums in central Lagos, and the redevelopment of Iganmu in Lagos was intensified. He was also responsible for the development of FESTAC and Amuwo Odofin later. In 1972, he left the LEDB out of frustration, as he put it, following the series of probes of the agency by the military government of Lagos State.

He was never found guilty of any financial or professional misconduct. He was subsequently appointed the Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), and later the Chairman of the Osogbo Steel Rolling Mills. On retiring from the public service, he set up his own engineering consultancy, the Comprehensive Engineering Consultants, with his cousin, Engineer Femi Fadahunsi, now deceased, as a partner. The company has been hugely successful. He was a former president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a former president of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). For his service to the nation he received the award of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), and several other national and international awards.

Late Alex Ekwueme
(October 21, 1932 - November 19, 2017)

Born October 21, 1932, at Nawfija, in what is now Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Dr. Alex Ekwueme would have been 90 years old but he passed on November 19, 2017 leaving behind an enviable legacy of brilliant service to humankind. Soundly educated at the St John’s Anglican Central School Ekwulobia, Kings College Lagos, and the University of Washington (UW) where he studied architecture and city planning, leveraging a Fulbright Scholarship as one of the first Nigerians to ever gain such prestigious award, Ekwueme’s rise and relevance was inevitable.

He set up the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria – Ekwueme Associates, Architects and Town Planners; ensured a successful practice of his trade and actively buoyed the practice of modern architecture in Nigeria by presiding over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria. He also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority, helping to shape the strategies, businesses and service delivery of the entity. Serving as Nigeria’s first democratically elected vice president with Shagari between 1979 and 1983, Ekwueme, subsequently lived his life devoted to serving the Nigerian nation. To achieve unity of purpose in the governance of the country, he proposed the now practiced equitable sharing of power among the country’s six geopolitical zones at a national constitutional conference, and this is now accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity. His ideation of this roundly been applauded as a panacea to Nigeria’s ever-present wrangling for political power. Even when he lost his quest to become president of Nigeria at the return of democracy in 1999, he remained committed to Nigeria and consistently contributed to its development, working hard for democracy and peace in Nigeria until he passed.

Late Fortune Ebie
(October 26, 1934 - June 4, 2017)

Late Sir Fortune Ebie was born on October 26, 1934 to the family of Reverend Samuel Obute Ebie, and was among Nigeria’s first generation of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. He was a man deeply committed to his God, his family, housing for the poor and the Ika nation. Sir Ebie was a hero, bold, intelligent and outstanding in all he ventured into during his days on earth. Ebie was one of the egghead students on Western Nigeria scholarship who passed the final examinations and screening to proceed to the College of Estate Management, University of London in the mid 1950s. While in London as a student, Ebie again, depicted the excellent spirit in him by winning accolades for his brilliance from his lecturers. He later graduated in flying colours and returned to Nigeria in early 1960s. He got his first paid job at Nigerian Building Society, (NBS) and later, Lagos Executive Development Board, (LEDB).

Ebie returned to Nigeria, at a time when most young Nigerian graduates in the United Kingdom found it undesirable and unprofitable to return home to serve their father land on successful completion of their academic pursuit. After a short and fulfilling period at LEDB, Ebie was appointed to head the then Bendel Development and Planning Authority, (BDPA) Benin City, where he recorded remarkable and enduring achievements. In 1975, he became the pioneer General Manager, Federal Housing Authority, (FHA). He was the first resident of Festac town in Lagos. In 1983, he was appointed Pioneer Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, SHELTER AFRIQUE – a Pan African Housing Development Bank. Nairobi. Kenya. Ebie discharged his duties responsibly until he left public service to venture into private practice. He was the President, Fortune Ebie & Co. Estate Surveyors and Valuers, with offices in Lagos, Agbor, Asaba and Warri. He was a former President, Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria, life member as well as patron of the association. He pioneered the formation of Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV).

Late Mamman Kontagora
(April 20, 1944 - May 29, 2013)

Born on April 20, 1944, Kontagora was among the first intake of officers when the Nigerian Defense Academy opened in 1964. Kontagora was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in the Babangida government. In 1991 he issued regulations on pollution abatement and effluent limitations covering all industries, with heavy fines for non-compliance. However, follow-up by the government on infractors was limited. In December 1991, he announced plans to draw up guidelines by early 1992 to control oil pollution. The Sani Abacha government appointed Kontagora sole administrator of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1995 after a major conflict at the university. He remained in charge until some time after the death of Abacha. He was appointed Administrator of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on 22 August 1998. The brief period when Kontagora was in charge of the FCT saw a boom in construction of housing and infrastructure.

Kontagora ceded a strategic plot next to the International Conference centre to the Abuja Horticultural Society to develop as a world standard park, now the Abuja International Peace Park, finally opened in 2003. In January 1999 Kontagora said that all structures had been put in place to ensure a smooth transition to democracy in May 1999. As a memorial, Kotagora has a square named after him in the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Late Prof. Akin Mabogunje
(18 October 1931 - 4 August 2022)

Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje was born some close to 70 years ago to the late Pa Joseph Omotunde Mabogunje, a retired UAC official, and MaDAM Janet Adeola Mabogunje, a trader. Prof. Mabogunje had his elementary education at the Holy Trinity School and the United Native African Church School in Kano (1935- 1941) and Central School Mapo Ibadan in 1942. His secondary education was at the famous Ibadan Grammar School (1943-1948). His University education began in 1949 at the then University College, Ibadan where he earned a B.A General degree in Geography in 1953. Not satisfied, Professor Mabogunje proceeded to the University of London where he earned a B.A (Hons.) degree in 1956; a Master’s and a Ph.Dd degree in Geography in 1958 and 1961 respectively. Prof. Mabogunje (ALM) started his professional career as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan in 1958.

He became a senior lecturer in 1964 and a professor of Geopgraphy in 1965. Professor Mabogunje has ably demonstrated his administrative expertise and competence in various capacities. At the University of Ibadan, he was Head of Department of Geopgraphy (1972-1975); Dean Faculty of the Social Sciences (1968-1970) and Director, Planning Studies Programme (1972-1981). He was a member of the Senate (1965-1981) and Chairman of many Senate and Council Committees where his contributions to the development of the University of Ibadan were enormous. At the professional level, Profesor Mabogunje was Editor of the Nigerian Geograhical Journal (1962-65); Editor, Oxford Uiversity Press series on studies on the Development of African Resources; among others. At the National level, he had served in various capacities both in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He was a member of the Western Nigerian Economic Advisory Council (1967-71); Member, Federal Public Service Review Commission (1972-74); Consultant, National Census Board (1973- 74); Chairman, Nigerian Council for Management Development (1976-79); Consultant, Federal Capital Development Authority (1976-84); Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye (1982-91); Member, Board of Directorate of DFRRI (1986-1993); Member, Board of Trustees Nigerian National Merit Award Endowment Fund (1983-1989) later Chairman of the Fund (1989-94) and Executive Chairman of the National Board for Community Banks (1991-94). At the international level, Professor Mabogunje has also held many important positions either as a member, Chairman or President of about a dozen organizations.

Rev. Ugochukwu Chime

Mr. Ugochukwu Obiora Chime is the Group Managing Director/CEO of Copen Group, which has diverse interests in physical development consultancy, real estate, construction, management training, banking, manufacturing, and agriculture. He has well over 40 years of dynamic and wide industry experience cutting across the civil service, public service and the private sectors of the Nigerian economy. His company’s vision is to build lives and structures. The company is a consortium of professionals with a keen drive to deliver on the full range of physical development consultancy, construction, real estate development, infrastructural development, agriculture, manufacturing, management training and banking. With offices in Enugu, Abakaliki, Abuja and Ghana, Copen Group is made up of seasoned professionals with an average of 35 years of experience in the aforementioned areas of expertise across the board. A Surveyor, foremost real estate developer, physical development consultant and investment analyst, Chime is a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and the Nigerian Institution of Building (NIOB). 

Chime’s company’s first major project was the design, construction and delivery of the Enugu State Primary Education Board (SPEB), which was commissioned by the then Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, in April 1999. It can be argued that with the delivery of over 2,000 housing units in a record time by Copen Group has generated over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs within the local environments in which we operate. Delivery of these housing units and creation of the thousands of jobs have added significantly to the ambience being created by different state governments. In 2002, he partnered in the delivery of a 500 housing unit estate at Taraba State in conjunction with the state government. He is a notable consultant to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, State Housing Corporations, Corporate bodies, and Private Estate Developers. Excerpts of his consultancy works includes, Design of the urban renewal of Calabar, Ikom and Ogoja in Cross River State and Taraba State and REDAN Team Leader FMBN/REDAN 27 Billion Naira bad loan reconciliation.

The first ever Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) certificate of commendation in its 56 years of existence to an estate developer for outstanding performance was given to his company, Copen Services Limited in 2011. Copen Group has to its credit delivered so many successful FMBN financed Estates in Enugu, Abuja, Nsukka, Abakaliki, and is about going into Anambra and Lagos states. The Group has also promptly repaid the loans taken for these estate developments viz Bethel Estate, Goshen Estate, Jubilee Estate and Elim Estate, with 324 housing units, was commissioned by the President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2014. Chime is a member of the governing council of Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and the current Enugu geographical zone Chairman of NECA, the agency that caters for the organised private sector in the Country.

Ahmed Dangiwa

Ahmed Musa Dangiwa was the immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria with over 30 years in the real estate and infrastructure development sectors, which enabled him to have specific ideas about the challenges of providing affordable housing to Nigerians and how to meet these challenges. Before taking over as theManaging Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank ofNigeria, Dangiwa, an architect, had been managing partner of AM DesignConsults, an architectural and real estate development consultancy firm, since1996. Before then, he was at Jarlo international Nig. Ltd, a construction company. There is no doubt that supervising several outstanding projects in diverse areas and sectors across the country has opened his eyes to the enormity of the nation’s housing deficits.

This includes his spell at TRIAD Associates, Kaduna, where he developed his professional career in designs and project management, rising to the position of associate partner in the group. Dangiwa had his first and second degrees in architecture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zarian, where he also earned an MBA He is an alumnus of the prestigious Wharton UniversityPennsylvania, U.S.A. and has attended numerous training courses in HousingFinance, Computer Aided Designs, Design and Build Workshops and Project Management, as well as several other professional and leadership training programmes. Dangiwa brought an insurance scheme to the mortgage housing sector.

Another innovation that Dangiwahas introduced is the use of certificates of occupancy (C of O) for lands. He identified land availability as one of the major constraints to the delivery of housing, due to the stringent conditions state governments attach to allocation of land. He also implemented a programme of inclusion, when he found out that in the bank, there were some staff that were employed as casual staff. At the end of his term at FMBN, Dangiwa had used internal capacity to complete several abandoned projects, ensuring that staff compulsory contributions were promptly refunded on retirement, unlike in the past when it took up to two years for refunds. He also effected decentralization of the bank’s operations.