By Odita Sunday
A legacy project of Delta State government that would for a long time continue to attract attention is the secretariat complex built on Mariam Babangida Way, Asaba, Delta State. It has been described as one of Nigeria’s best secretariat complexes built by the Delta State Government. A leading light in the construction project was Dr. Osadebe Osakwe, whose company, North China Nigeria Limited executed the project.
Interestingly, this is only one of Osadebe Osakwe’s legacy projects in recent times which he co-executed with the sister company, North China Construction Company and his company, North China Nigeria Limited, where he sits as the managing director and oversees the execution of huge projects till date.
Osakwe’s journey to limelight, wealth, and prominence in his home state of Delta and beyond is very inspiring, as he was not born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He had lost his father at a very tender age and was raised by his hard-working mother, a woman who was determined as a single parent to raise a responsible and successful son in him, in spite of her husband’s demise which left her to handle more than she had prepared for at the time, as a wife and mother. She automatically became the breadwinner, caring for the family.
As if well aware of the challenges of life from those early years when he lost his father, Osadebe Osakwe never lost sight of who he wanted to become, his vision and passion for greatness and focus to fit into his late father’s shoes of being a man of honour, living up to his family name, but most importantly, for him to achieve greatness and make a huge difference in the society, inspired in him a quest for success.
Academically, he was studious from the outset as a child, quite determined as someone made for the top. He gave his best at any stage as he moved from one level of education to the other. A 1990 Accounting graduate of the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG), Osakwe also bagged a Master’s degree in Finance from the same institution. His quest for more knowledge made him attend the London Business School, between January and December 2008. Other reputable institutions attended by him and certificates acquired are: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, AMDP (Real Estate) between July 2008 and August 2009, Oxford University: Said Business School, PGDIP – Advanced Diploma between March 2010 and October 2011 in Strategy, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and a Doctorate (PhD) in International Business strategy between 2006 and 2012 at the International School of Management, Paris, France.
Vision driven and diligence, he has earned over twenty-five (25) years cognate experience in Credit Risk Management, Retail, Corporate, and Investment Banking, Mortgage Banking and Real Estate Investment, Multilateral and Export Finance, Pension and Asset Management, and Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Over the years, he has successfully led teams of professionals to achieve higher levels of success in different organizations. He Co-founded North China Construction Nigeria Limited, a partnership between Chinese Government owned North China Construction Group Co. Ltd. of Beijing and Nigerian Entrepreneurs where he currently provides strategic guidance and direction as Chief Executive Officer, with significant Equity Interest.
Prior to his emergence in the construction industry, Osakwe had put in many years in the banking space where he rose to become the Managing Director of Zenith Realtors Limited with concurrent responsibility as General Manager of a Lagos Zone in the Zenith Bank Group. Osadebe joined Zenith Bank in 1993 as an Analyst and had since held various leadership positions in the Bank. Before his appointment in 2006, he pioneered the establishment of Zenith Investment Banking and Capital Markets Group.
Following the introduction of Universal Banking in Nigeria, he had incubated and led a family of adjacent businesses within the Zenith Bank Group, including Zenith Securities Limited, Zenith Pension Custodian Limited, Zenith Registrars Limited, Zenith Trust Company Limited and Zenith Mortgages Limited. He headed a team that worked with USAID to introduce mortgage finance to small and medium-income household in Nigeria.
Osadebe’s multicultural skill and exploratory mindset are exemplified by a world class Real Estate project executed a few years ago in the high brow Ikoyi area of Lagos, where he led a team of Nigerian and Chinese professionals to conceive, plan, execute, and successfully market “The Luxury Gardens”; arguably the one of the best anywhere in Nigeria.
Before the afore-mentioned appointments, he was General Manager in the Corporate Banking Group where he garnered experience in Credit Risk Management, Development Finance, Export, Leasing, Multilateral Finance, etc. He also led a team of twelve colleagues to design a Retail Banking Strategy for the Zenith Bank Group. His greatest motivations are in the areas of strategy, business innovation, corporate entrepreneurship, and Adaptive Leadership for value creation.” “He was Project Manager/Team Leader of Zenith Bank’s IPO (The most successful IPO in Nigeria at that time. Raised N48billion (US$320million) – 2004. Osadebe was Team Leader/Chairman of the Committee For The Design Of Zenith Bank’s Retail Banking Strategy – 2011. He was Project Team leader working with USAID to create mortgage lending product for low and medium-income households in Nigeria. This is aimed at introducing the culture of mortgage lending in Nigeria among first time house owners.
In October, 2023, Oyo State Government declared its readiness to partner Osakwe’s North China Construction Nigeria Limited in collaboration with his company’s Chinese partner, to rehabilitate some water schemes in the State. The Company is to collaborate with the Oyo State Water Corporation on the rehabilitation of the Asejire and the Eleyele Water Supply Schemes.
The Chairman of China Construction, Wu Guoqi, in company of Osadebe Osakwe leading a team of delegates from the firm on a visit to the State had stated had declared interest of the firm in other projects scattered across the state, so the projects could work to optimum capacity. During the visit, Wu Guoqi and Osakwe had disclosed that the “China Construction was ready to collaborate in the reconstruction of water reservoirs and laying of pipes to designated areas across Oyo State, revealing that the schemes of the state water corporation could be useful for irrigation, which would in turn boost the economy of the state and provision of employment.”
With deep a interest and concerted effort, Dr. Osadebe Osakwe is not leaving anything to chance as he pushes harder to move the frontiers of the construction industry in Nigeria.
