Ruggedman, Zaaki Azzay,Emma Oh My God, grace Gtext Holdings’ 10th-anniversary celebration
It was an evening where business met entertainment as music stars, Zaaki Azzay, Ruggedman, and Emma Oh My God graced Gtext Holdings’ 10th-anniversary celebration in Lagos.
The event, themed “The Road to 2030: Real Estate Trends That Will Shape the Next Decade,” combined glamour with introspection as guests reflected on a decade of steady growth and bold experimentation in Nigeria’s real estate industry.
The night wasn’t just about champagne toasts or milestone speeches. Between the laughter, nostalgia, and light-hearted humour from entertainers like EmmaOMG, there was an unmistakable sense of gratitude and reinvention. Stories of vision and survival shared the stage with music and laughter.
For Stephen Akintayo, Gtext Holdings’ founder and chief executive officer, the anniversary represented more than a corporate celebration. Standing before an audience of clients, investors, and long-time collaborators, he traced the company’s roots to an unlikely beginning.
“Seventeen years ago, I was running a small digital marketing firm,” Akintayo recalled. “In 2015, a student approached me with 250 acres of land to sell. I agreed to help and took 50 acres as payment. That’s how our real estate story began in Ikorodu.”
Reflections
Amid the business reflections came cultural insight. Singer Zaaki Azzay noted the gap in Nigeria’s labour sector and praised Gtext for encouraging hands-on work and professional mentorship.
“Most labourers and mechanics in Nigeria today are from other countries,” he said. “It’s painful, because there’s so much opportunity in these trades. I’d probably have been a mechanic if I weren’t an entertainer. I like that Gtext is helping people build property, discipline, and success.”
Humble start
From that modest start, Gtext Holdings has grown into a multi-continental real estate group with developments in over 30 Nigerian locations and operations in Dubai, Doha, London, and several U.S. states. Mr Akintayo said the company’s journey has been shaped by faith and deliberate restraint, adding that they would take retail seriously, building malls, schools, and hospitals.”
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He also revealed plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into Gtext’s operations.
Guests at the anniversary, including former Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro, Rana Ijaz Ahmad, and Mike Banigbe of T2 Mobile, mingled freely as the evening wound down with laughter, music, and snapshots of gratitude.
As the lights dimmed and the night drew to a close, the organisers reflected on some of their forthcoming projects, including a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest real estate conference ever held in a tent. They added that the initiative aims to showcase Nigeria’s growing influence in the global real estate sector.