Honourable
Odedo

I went through primary and secondary school in my local government public school. I attended UNN, where I studied Estate Management and graduated in 1980. I completed my NYSC in 1981 and joined the FCDA in August that same year, just two months later. I became an Associate of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) in 1986. I left FCDA as a Senior Estate Surveyor in 1989 and traveled to the USA for a two-year post-baccalaureate program in Marketing at Portland State University, Oregon, from 1989 to 1991.

I studied Estate Management by chance. My immediate elder brother was a student of Architecture in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at UNN Enugu Campus. He had his best friend, ESV Romanus Okoli, studying Estate Management in the same faculty. It was through my brother’s friend I came to know about Estate Management. I was extremely interested in it, so I took the course, and the rest is history.

I was a very smart student, consistently taking 1st to 3rd positions throughout my primary and secondary school years, even while being actively involved in sports — especially short-distance races (100m and 200m) and football. Balancing academics and athletics took perseverance and discipline, but I remained committed to both. I was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Sports by the Vice Chancellor and graduated with a Second Class Lower degree.

The Head of State General Murtala Mohammed had declared Abuja the nation’s capital in 1976, and my actual work started two years later. By the time I joined FCDA in 1981, Abuja was still very young. I worked with FCDA for 7 years and then left in 1989 for Portland Oregon, USA.

My life actually changed for good while living in the USA. First, I got more education in business and, more importantly, in Marketing and Sales. I also did a lot of self-motivational courses in psychology and sales. My confidence grew while in the USA. I worked for UPS (United Parcel Service), one of the world’s leading parcel companies. It was a baptism of fire — the most tedious job you can imagine. As a student at Portland State University, UPS regularly recruited from our campus, and this worked in my favour. The attraction for me was the late night shift, which enabled me to prioritize my studies while juggling other responsibilities. Equally pleasing, their pay per hour was more than double the minimum wage.

Unfortunately, the work at UPS was so tedious that, most times after covering long night shifts, I would not have the energy to go to school because I would sleep all day. I vowed while working for UPS that I would work for myself and own my own business. I made a personal vow that if I could put half the energy into my own business, I would surely succeed. That inherent drive in me led to brainstorming about business ideas. I started a one-man carpet cleaning business, then a pest control company, between 1992 and 1999.

After the 1999 elections, I returned to Abuja, restarted my estate practice, and established Cheers Hotel Ltd. I was doing well in both my practice and the hotel business and was extending significant empowerment to my people in my village. My people then invited me to join politics because they figured out my generosity could carry me through — and it did.

I joined politics in 2005, contested for the House of Representatives in 2007 and won. I re-contested in 2011 and succeeded. I tried again in 2015 and lost. I tried again in 2019 and was unsuccessful. I went back to my business and practice in 2020, and it has remained so to date.

I began my political journey in 2005 when I joined PDP. I contested and won my first election to the House of Representatives in 2007, having been in politics for less than two years. Again, I was re-elected in 2011 under ACN/APC. To date, I remain the very first — and still the only — person from Anambra State to be elected to the House of Representatives under the ACN/APC party. While in the House, I was elevated to a Fellow at NIESV in 2014, in recognition of my professional accomplishments and contributions to the field.

I restarted my practice in 2020 and also gave full attention to my hotel business. I have been fairly successful. As I reflect on my life’s journey — shaped by local and international education, extensive self-development, a broad range of professional experiences both at home and abroad, as well as my involvement in politics and philanthropy — I am driven by a vision to use my skills to give back to society in a meaningful and impactful way, while also building sustainable success. This is the foundation and mission of HonourableOdedo.com.

My current focus is on helping individuals acquire or sell land and property in Abuja, FCT. We’ve developed a special initiative tailored for the diaspora community — Diasporas: Own a Piece of Abuja. This program provides access to estate land or property with a clear pathway to obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).

Despite the challenges many Nigerians face abroad, the current exchange rate presents a unique advantage. With approximately $3,000 USD, you can begin your journey to owning land in Abuja. To get started, I invite you to visit Abuja, stay at my hotel, enjoy a guided tour of the city, and explore available properties firsthand before making your investment.