Mentoring as art or science of providing guidance and direction is almost as old as talent discovery and people, especially the young, at various growth stages, have been mentored on talent development along identified career path.
This art or science was, at the weekend in Lagos, taken to a higher pedestal by Design Protocol, a real estate development company, with a novel initiative that saw little Chimamanda Isiakpona become the company’s managing director (MD) for that day.
As MD, young Isiakpona had the opportunity of addressing a gathering of investors and home buyers during which she, from a draught (dummy) of the company’s future project, explained a building’s specifications and functionality of its various facilities.
“The whole idea is about mentorship; you need to start early if you want to mentor the young ones; you need to expose them to leadership and careers; they need to understand possibilities and even responsibilities they will be facing in future,” Bayo Adalemo, the company’s managing director, explained to BusinessDay on the sideline of the gathering.
He disclosed that the little MD for that day had shown some talent in drawing and painting and had done a lot of them. “She has a variety of skills which are practically unusual for someone at her age. We want to get her well grounded in as many areas as possible so that she, on her own, will decide what she wants to do in future,” he added.
Adalemo, who is an Architect, recalled how at 4 (years), his father, Emeritus Prof Isaac Adalemo, introduced him to Prof David Aradeon who mentored him, leading to his studying Architecture in the University of Lagos.
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“My father taught I had a talent in fine art because I used to draw a lot and he wanted something that would bring out that great talent in me. Prof Aradeon mentored me. From him, I had all the rudiments of Architecture and, 10 years later, I became a student of architecture at the University of Lagos,” he recalled further.
Design Protocol, according to him, is the developer of the project called Admiralty 20 or Admiralty Pearl, located on Admiralty Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. The project comprises 20 units of 4-bedroom semi-detached terrace houses.
“We initiated the project two and half yours ago. It comprises 20 units of 4-bedroom Semi-detached terrace houses. We started from design right through the proposal phase to the finance and construction stage,” Adalemo said.
“We do real estate on commercial basis; as much as possible we want to fill the gap that exists in the housing sector which is estimated at 22 million units. In our own little way, we are trying to see what we can do to be of help in that respect. We deliver quality houses that are sustainable,” he said.
He assured prospective residents of peace of mind which, he noted, was very important, saying that having been in business since the last 20 years, they had used the experience gained in that period in designing the quality of the spaces and the choice of the materials for the building.
“Right now, based on our studies, we are seeing 15-20 percent energy saving for residents; that is the cost of running their homes. Sun here is abundant such that you can be sure of sunlight from 7.30am to 6.30pm. In addition to that, we use energy saving appliances,” he said.
Though located on a high street, he said, the project is a real departure from the hustle and bustle of Lagos, adding that there were some interesting facilities including an industrial borehole that went down 680 metres to ensure we have good quality water for the residents.
Others are water treatment plant; generator, warmers; garages for residents; common areas like the gym, swimming pool; a jetty for launching boats, a club house and a sewage treatment plant. There are also solar water heaters on top of every house which reduces the amount of energy that they use to heat their water.
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