Has the veil been lifted?

From time immemorial, the build up to any General elections in Africa’s most populous nation incites a lot of shenanigans-a thought provoking jamboree that keeps everyone on his or her toes and that includes fetuses that are allotted that period of time for their grand entry into Mother Earth. During the electioneering process in my country, every aspect of human activity is impacted one way or the other and the real estate sector is no different.

After the elections were pushed forward by six weeks, it set the pace for what I will want to term a campaign of ‘money flow and intense bickering’. The polity went agog with different sanity disrupting hate campaigns like as never been seen or heard before. It was like the two strongest political gladiators in Nigeria had been thrown into an arena of blood and sand in the most bizarre circumstances while the gate keeper went ‘AWOL’ with the arena’s key.

A dark cloud fell on the horizon that had hovered on our sovereignty since the end of the civil war in 1970. The predictions of an imminent doom stood tall and proud, even the citizens knew there was no going back this time cause it seemed Lucifer had begun to intensify his renewed interest in Nigeria.

All of this transited the real estate hub with dire consequences in the event that Lucifer went too far with his sport. The seemingly unending campaigns caused a lot of ripples and uncertainties in the real estate community but all of that have been quelled by the miracle of the call that brought sanity to a process that could have been besieged by lunatics spearheaded by Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe.

Since the runoff to the elections began, the talk about the 2015 general elections has continued to creep into every discussion with temerity. Its effect on real estate has been a silent player in such discussions. If you’ve been in the market for a new home but went on a recess along the line due to the tension in the air as a result of the overly heated electioneering process, I believe you are back on track with the new reality before us.

In this term, I witnessed an alarming rate of properties been put up for sale that I began to ponder if it was just about the elections or that bankruptcy had suddenly hit most property owners in the country. The magnificent Oriental Hotel was even at some point rumoured to be up for sale. Honestly if that piece of information had been true, I would have fled the country for wherever even if its only Syria that agrees to issue me visa. What else should one expect when the powers that controls the country are also on red alert!

However in the week that followed the presidential elections, news about most properties that had gone up for sale suddenly cooled off. Majority of them have rescinded their decision and hold strongly to their properties not because they couldn’t sell before and during the elections but because the presidential election which is the father of all the elections was as tranquil as the word itself contrary to the expectations of all and sundry.

Now that the buyers are willing to buy at the give away price that was put up before the elections, the owners have finally realized that the sales of their properties would have been the biggest mistake of their life and that the impending doom that was predicted was not for the country but for their lives. History and the experts had suggested that the political events of the first quarter of 2015 will shake the real estate market to its foundation, albeit just like the US predictions that an imminent break- up loomed; deducing that the country called ‘NIGERIA’ would cease to exist, went down the drain, so also did the pundit’s fears for real estate not see the light of day.

Once again the country has proven that she is immune to a break up and allergic to the eruption of a full scale war across the region. Again, Nigeria has disappointed all her enemies and yet again her citizens have assayed that they are the happiest people on earth; the intrigues, controversies, filming, documentaries, funny memes, drama, glitz and glam that trailed the elections are enough testament. These have made it the most interesting elections ever(correct me if I’m wrong, I’m poor with history)

So, if you’ve been handling your real estate business with kid gloves since the runoff to the elections began; In case you are still asleep, I will like to announce to you that the veil has been lifted.

Its time to rise and confront your devils cause we’ve come, we’ve seen and on May 29, 2015,  In šāʾ Allāh, We will conquer!