It was a gathering of some of the most contented men and women who,
over the years, help build the real estate practice known as Knight
Frank Nigeria today, as the firm engaged in series of events to
celebrate their successes in Nigeria. 
Headquartered in Lagos, Knight Frank Nigeria - trading as Knight Frank
Nigeria Partnership - has grown to be one of the largest firm of estate
surveyors and valuers in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa. Founded
in Nigeria in 1965, the partners attributed the firm’s growth down to
their high-standards of professionalism, commercial acumen and
integrity. Knight Frank Nigeria is part of Knight Frank LLP - the
world's largest independent residential and commercial property
consultancy.
In his reminiscence at a media briefing, a retired Senior Partner
Joseph Ojo-Osagie, who chaired the occasion said, “We started from a
small beginning but have since 1965, when we opened for business in
Nigeria, expanded and grown and we attribute our growth to our
high-standards of professionalism, commercial acumen and integrity.”
Ojo-Osagie, who said he joined the company in 1968, said it has grown
to become “an eternal oak”, stating that back then it was a family
affair and that there was trust among all the staff members and this was
attested to by other retired partners.
He said Knight Frank is a place where staff work hard to achieve results and that there was no room for those who are not prepared to go the extra mile.
This thought process was corroborated by a former Senior Partner, O J
Idudu, who served as a Managing Partner of Knight Frank & Rutley.
Mr. Idudu served as the Chief Executive of the international firm of
real estate consultants, Messrs Knight Frank, a foremost player in the
Nigerian property market until January 2006.
Connecting with the former partners, the Senior Partner and CEO of
Knight Frank Nigeria, Chief Albert Orisu said, “Since inception in 1965,
Knight Frank Nigeria has grown to be the largest firm of surveyors and
valuers operating across Nigeria.
“Backed by industry-leading technology and global research, we provide
market-leading advice and transaction support to investors, corporates
and homeowners for their personal and business property needs.
“Our shared goal lies in improving operations, maximising returns on investment and adding value throughout long-standing partnerships.”
The company, Orizu said has very credible clientele and that they work
on very transparent jobs across the country through its offices in
Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
Clients, he said are supported at every stage “of acquiring, owning,
occupying and disposing of their commercial and residential properties
through dedicated client relationship manager.”
The celebration, he said was about the people who work in the firm to build it to the high standards it has today.
He explained that the Lagos branch controls controlled the whole South West, Port Harcourt branch controlled the South South and the South East, while the entire North was controlled by Abuja branch.
“Knight Frank is a large global family and we have benefitted from our
link with other members of this family, especially in the area of
valuation; we have 21 offices in nine countries in Africa, and 370
offices in 55 countries of the world”, the senior partner disclosed,
explaining that the branch network was meant to add value to their
clients investment.
“our shared goal lies in improving operations, maximising returns on
investment and adding value throughout long-standing partnerships”,
adding, working closely with owners, occupiers, developers and
investors, our commercial and residential specialists are members of
Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), adhering
to the highest levels of industry code of conduct, at all times.”
Knight Frank has sustained its growth by leveraging the emergence of
new cities which has seen high rise buildings springing up everywhere
for reasons of growing population, urbanization and static land size.
In the early days, the company had briefs from John Holts, UAC,
Leventis among others. Now it is in charge of some sturdy properties
like, UNTIL House, Marina, Lagos, BICS Mall, Port Harcourt, WAEC
Building, Abuja, Island Court, Nasarawa Street, Banana Island, Ikoyi,
Lagos, Sterling Towers, Marina, Lagos, St Nicholas House, Catholic
Mission Street, Lagos Island, among others.
Knight Frank Nigeria also offers property development and planning
services which is growing part of our business in which they meet
national and international developers' needs through specialist advice
on issues such as demand, supply, investment returns, values, funding
and design.
They advise clients on marketing strategies, funding and pricing with a
view to generating optimal returns and for larger projects, they carry
out comprehensive feasibility studies, ensuring that risk is mitigated
at all times.
by Bennett Oghifo
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