Experts have advised cooperative societies to move beyond savings and channel their pooled resources into high-value real estate investments that appreciate over time and deliver measurable returns.
Founder and CEO of Solid Foundation Group, Adetoun Otepola, speaking at the fourth edition of the CEO’s Forum organised by CTTNetwork in Lagos, highlighted the unique advantages of early investment. She outlined how the foundation supports investors in unlocking value through well-structured, future-focused real estate offerings.
The forum brought together cooperative leaders, financial controllers, administrative executives, and business heads to discuss the theme: “The Role of Real Estate in Strengthening Cooperative Wealth Structures.”
It served as a strategic platform for sharing knowledge on how cooperatives, businesses, and organisations can transform their capital, savings, and resources into long-term wealth. Discussions explored how smart real estate investments and innovative financing models can secure the future and drive sustainable institutional growth.
In her keynote address, Otepola described real estate as a “mobility tool” that unlocks freedom, prosperity, and global opportunities. “Real estate is more than owning land or buildings,” she said. “It is a strategic gateway to wealth mobility, global relevance, and a secure legacy for families, organisations, and cooperatives.”
She identified poor leadership, lack of transparency, inadequate capital, limited professional oversight, regulatory challenges, and economic instability as major hurdles facing many cooperatives. “Without sound governance, proper registration, and access to financial tools, cooperatives are set up to struggle,” she noted, advocating professional management, member education, and legal compliance as essential for success.
Otepola encouraged attendees to leverage the National Housing Fund (NHF) through cooperative frameworks, describing it as a strategic tool for asset building and long-term wealth preservation.
Head of Marketing at Homebase Mortgage Bank Ltd, Chinyere Chimezie, stressed the urgent need for homeownership as a hedge against inflation and a pathway to wealth preservation.
She addressed common skepticism about mortgage financing, explaining that mortgages are accessible if properly understood, and introduced innovative housing finance products such as MREIF loans, Family Own Funds, and other national schemes designed to make homeownership possible for the average Nigerian.
Vice President for Corporate and Offline Business at Wakanow, Emmanuel Adeshina, showcased the company’s “Pay Small Small (PSS)” scheme, which allows customers to secure travel deals with as little as 25 per cent upfront and pay the balance over time before their departure. He described the PSS model as proof that organisations can provide flexible, scalable financial solutions without barriers such as credit profiling.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of CitiMall Lagos by Oluwatobi Osonuga. Envisioned as a one-stop destination for shopping, dining, wellness, business, and entertainment, CitiMall will be located in one of Lagos’ fastest-growing corridors and will feature a curated mix of retail outlets, food courts, cinemas, executive office spaces, and lifestyle hubs, targeting modern consumers and institutional investors.
