Experts highlight how good parenting intersects homeownership, legacy

When experts and sundry stakeholders in the real estate sector gathered recently at a CEO Forum hosted by CTT Network, the discourse was centred on how good parenting system intersects with homeownership and family legacy.

The experts noted that, in an era where financial success often takes precedence over family values, there is need for a good parenting system in order to secure both financial and family legacies.

The forum, which was hosted by Adetoun Otepola, managing director of Solid Foundation Group, had Praise Fowowe, Founder of Family House Africa, and Odunayo Ojo, CEO of UPDC Plc as guest speakers. Its theme was, ‘Home Ownership and Parenthood: Laying a Strong Foundation.’

Fowowe shared insights on how to build an effective parenting system, stressing the need for people to be intentional in building this system. He cited a Jewish proverb which says, “any enterprise built by wise planning becomes strong through common sense and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of facts.”

He noted that many people invest significant effort in structuring their businesses but fail to apply the same strategic planning to parenting, leading to struggles in raising the next generation.

Fowowe highlighted a critical paradigm shift, saying that the old rule of parenting was based on emotions, but the new rule is intentional and scripting powered by systems intelligence.

According to him, every child is a potential saviour, but not all children fulfil this destiny due to a lack of structured guidance. He identified four major challenges that undermine effective parenting, including identity, history, village and mission.

“Raising up godly children is not a prayer battle alone or individual capacity; it is now a battle of systems, intelligence and tribal ideology; it takes a village to raise a child, but the question to ask is where is your village; who makes up your village and what is the capacity of your village?” Fowowe said.

He noted that the old rule of building an effective family system is emotion, but the new rule is intentional scripting powered by system intelligence, because, according to him, God builds through systems.

Fowowe stressed that good parenting was necessary as children become confrontational when they are in search of who they. “Each family has something unique attached to their heritage. Gen Zs are in search of who they are in the midst of conflicting information they are exposed to,” he said.

Speaking on ‘Leaving a Legacy for Our Children,’ Ojo said, “in parenting, we have to be intentional about what we give to our children; we should embrace delayed gratification.”

He explained that instead of giving children cash or perishable assets like cars as gifts, parents should give them something of value with appreciating quality like real estate. “If one parent gives his child N10 million car as gift and another one gives his own a N10 million plot of land, in the next 10 years, you will see that the value of the car has depreciated while the value of the land has gone up significantly,” he said.

Ojo offered insights into real estate investment opportunities along the Lekki corridor, citing his company’s new development called Brompton City which, he said, is a 30-hectare mixed-use development that is set to redefine urban living in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the project is designed as an aspirational, eco-friendly city that will serve as a model for smart and sustainable urban planning.

Ojo noted that UPDC has consistently delivered premium real estate products that appreciate in value, making them excellent investment choices even in Nigeria’s evolving economic landscape.

On homeownership and legacy building, Adetoun Otepola, an estate surveyor and valuer, emphasized that real estate is one of the most important financial decisions anyone will ever make.

She noted that housing, which is an aspect of real estate, ranks among the top three fundamental human needs, yet many parents fail to consider the succession aspect of property ownership.

“As an organization, we are not just focused on selling properties; we are deeply interested in creating generational wealth for our clients and ensuring that their children are adequately prepared to sustain this legacy,” she stated.

Adetoun underscored the need for intentional financial planning and structured asset transfer to secure a family’s future. “No matter how much wealth you accumulate, you cannot buy a legacy. You must groom your children intentionally,” she said.