Meet Lucky Erherha, CEO, Zumera, The Man Transforming Benin City Into Global Destination

From an impoverished little boy from the South-South part of Nigeria who had nothing but his dream; to becoming the man championing the transformation of African cities, through real estate and infrastructural development, Lucky Erherha, Founder and CEO of Zumera Property Limited takes us on an exclusive journey that chronicles his entrepreneurial exploit and captures why Zumera is not your regular real estate company

Let’s meet you?

My name is Lucky Erherha, I am the CEO of Zumera Limited, an organisation that is redefining the whole concept of doing business in Africa. I am a Nigerian by birth, an Entrepreneur by calling, and a global Citizen by exposure. I like to see myself as a student of life, who is never tired of learning. I have 4 degrees, but the most significant learnings of my life didn’t come from the four walls of the classroom, but the wall-less classroom of life.

I am an optimist, I believe undoubtedly in Nigeria, and more importantly, I believe in the undeniable courage of the average Nigerian youth to excel against all odds, if given the right resources and support!

I am in the business of value-creation.

Tell us about your upbringing and how it shaped the person you have become today?

I was born without a silver spoon, in a small village in Delta State, I was born into a family that places a premium on high moral standards above everything else. My Dad was a Pastor, not the popular ones. He pastored a small branch of a ministry that kept moving him from one remote village to another. My mum was a petty trader and we could barely survive from their earnings.

Unlike my contemporaries, I grew up working! I can’t recall a day in my childhood where I wasn’t working. At a very early stage in life, I came to understand the path life has carved for me, and rather than sit back and lament my situation, I decided to take charge of my life, and pick up the only available job in those remote villages- which was farming! I mean, man must survive!

I remember at the age of 12-14 or so, I’d just returned from one of those farming jobs and I was very tired. I remember looking at my mum and after assessing our situation, I said to her; ‘This is not the life we should be living’.

See, I have always had big dreams.! But, I knew if I continued staying in that remote village, my dreams would never come true. And so, I picked up my bag and left for Benin, to live with one of my Uncles.

Benin was a breath of fresh air for a village boy like me. Benin was more than a city, it was a symbol of inspiration for the many possibilities that lay ahead of me. In Benin, my dreams grew wings and became within reach.

I threw myself into everything my hands could find. I worked at the sawmill with my uncle, I learnt interlocking and became quite good at it. I was not afraid to try new things! I kept on amassing skills, I mean you never know which you will find useful! Within a couple of years, an opportunity opened up for me to travel abroad. Finally, my dream was being realised. A friend recommended me for a job in Singapore based on one of my skills and the rest they say is history.

There are a couple of learnings from my upbringing that were instrumental to making me the man I have become today. One of such is the influence of my strict religious upbringing. I learnt the importance of keeping a high moral standard of integrity, and the uncompromising value of hardwork. My parents made me understand that there is dignity and peace of mind in labour. Till date, I don’t consider any job menial. For me, anything that can put food on your table deserves all the seriousness and attention you can give it. My philosophy is this…Whatever your hands find to do, don’t just do it, but do it BETTER!

How did you come about Zumera?

Zumera is a child of necessity, a testament to an undying commitment to creating value for Africa, one community and one project at a time. It is a stark reminder to every young Nigerian of the validity of their dreams. Zumera is the vehicle through which my vision for Nigeria is being actualized.

While in Singapore, I worked twice as hard! Embracing every opportunity life threw at me to acquire skills, delaying gratification while barely surviving. I understood this because it was a random skill I had acquired that opened the door to Singapore. Therefore, it is important that on your journey to the top, treat every opportunity to acquire skills as a once-in-a-lifetime privilege.

I worked all manner of jobs to fund my education while also trying to earn a living. I worked as a cleaner, a volunteer, a cargo boy in a shipping company and even ventured into Tech. Like we say ‘Warri no de carry last’. Some years down the line, I got a job with Uber, acquired skills in marketing and my fortunes turned around. From the standpoint of a young man who has had nothing to his name prior to coming to Singapore, I could at this point say that I was doing very well. But…I still wasn’t fulfilled. I felt like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing.

Singapore didn’t make me, it only gave me a platform to thrive, and I know that there are lots of young, hardworking and skillful Nigerians back home, waiting for an opportunity; a platform to thrive. How can I give them that platform? This was one of the many questions I kept asking myself.

To find answers, I started reading a lot about successful entrepreneurs, listening to them on YouTube and reading books in search of answers.

One night, on my way back from work, I took a taxi and while on the drive home, I immersed myself in the architectural spectacle that Singapore has to offer. Mind you, Singapore is one of the most beautiful places on earth. As I immersed myself in the breathtaking landscape and intricately designed highrises, a thought dropped in my heart. ‘If these were built by humans why can’t we replicate this kind of breathtaking architecture in Nigeria? Why can’t we build structures that will open-up our communities to opportunities and create wealth for all?’ I decided to go into real estate and Zumera was born!

Tell us more about Zumera – what problem are you trying to solve and what differentiates this brand from the other real estate brands in the market?

I often say to people that Zumera is more than a Real Estate Company. We are not even trying to be one! Value creation is at the heart of what we do and Real estate for us, is just one of the many ways we do this.

Every great business solution starts with a question. Ours was simple, how can we transform communities in Nigeria in such a way as to open-up massive opportunities to create wealth for all, and improve the lives of the people? How do we create value that will make our cities self-sustaining and create opportunities for everyone to succeed?

We noticed that too many young and industrious Nigerians are leaving the shores of the country for greener pastures in foreign lands. The reason for this we realised is not even because they hate their mother-land, far from it! It is simply to move to a place where their skills will be maximally rewarded and provided with numerous opportunities for them to live a fair decent life. Let’s not get it twisted, Nigerians are not moving abroad so they can one day become as rich as Dangote, Tony Elumelu or Otedola. Their simple motivation is to live a decent life in a community where opportunities are constantly being created for all. The average hardworking Nigerian in Lagos, would not mind relocating to his state if the same opportunities he is presented with in Lagos, are present in his state.

No human enjoy suffering, long hours in traffic, unnecessary delays and complicated processes just to extorts people, outrageous prices of food and other basic commodities, ridiculous prices of housing and the numerous problems we face on a daily basis in our cities. So, we asked ourselves the same question the visionary leaders of Dubai asked in the early 80s. The question is how can we transform each city in Nigeria into an economic hub and create value for all?

It turns out that there was a simple solution – Infrastructural development – give people and businesses a reason to want to visit and live in your city. We decided that the way to go is to build innovative structures and architectures that can open-up communities and the people that live in them to opportunities. This became the foundation upon which Zumera as an organisation was built.

We started Zumera because we believe that great cities are made by world class structures and infrastructures, and Nigeria has sufficient human capital and natural resources to become a world-class nation.

Zumera is an innovative real estate company with a vision to build sustainable world-class structures that open-up communities to opportunities and create new experiences that transform the lives of the people. We are in the business of inspiring a better future for Nigerians through quality and sustainable infrastructural development and value creation. We offer the highest possible standard, the most innovative solution, and the best value to Nigerians, one community, and one project at a time.

What would you say are the Zumera Core Values?

Everything we do in Zumera begins with this question – How can we add value today? Speaking about value addition, there are 3 unique but inter-related pillars that are fundamental to who we are as a brand and are strategic in helping us create differentiation from the rest. These are People, Communities and Innovation.

At Zumera, people are at the heart of everything we do. We are a business of the people, for the people and by the people. We believe that every Nigerian has tremendous potential waiting to be unleashed, and given the right environment, they will thrive. Our people-centric philosophy focuses on growth, development and wealth for our staff, our clients and all stakeholders.

The second pillar that drives our business is Community. At Zumera, we believe that real impact is achieved through leveraging the power of communities. When you create a community of inspired people to collaborate and share ideas, you unlock transformational potential that brings change and open that city up to opportunities. We believe that you can only do so much with just one inspired person, but when you have a community of inspired people, the sky is your limit. This is why our business model at Zumera is focused on taking one community at a time.

The last pillar that drives our business is Innovation. Innovation for us at Zumera is not an option, it is a necessity! Innovation is the core of who we are, it is our corporate culture and as an organisation, we do nothing, if it is not innovative. We are a company that is constantly asking, how can we do things better? How can we do things differently? How can we create value?

Tell us about your maiden project in Benin City – The Zumera Tower

The Zumera Tower project began with the question, how can we create value in Benin City? From our research, we observed that every major city has a structure that is socially, culturally and economically symbolic, representing the commercial nerve of that city. Lagos for instance has Eko Hotel, the preferred location for most high-powered events, corporate conferences and meetings, networking center for celebrities, top businessmen and politicians, Abuja has Transcorp Hilton, but what does Benin City have? So for the first-time in Benin City, we are building a 7-in-1 epic destination masterpiece, that will provide magical experiences for Nigerians like never before! We call this building The Zumera Tower. It is like bringing together the experience of Eko Hotel mixed with the beauty of the Transcorp Hilton, in the Centre of Benin City. With over 20,000sqm of multifunctional space, the Zumera Tower will offer an unparalleled retail variety, combined with world-class hospitality, entertainment and breathtaking leisure attractions. It will be the number one location for everything fun, work, relaxation and a fine dining experience for everyone in Benin City and beyond.

One of the fascinating thing about the Zumera tower is the exclusive roof-top club & lounge that comes with an only member access area and a VIP Lounge. Strategically located on the 8th floor, with a breathtaking view of the city, the Zumera Tower rooftop club and lounge will be the most preferred spot for celebrities, high networths individuals (HNIs) and VIPs who enjoy the exclusive life. The Zumera Towers will also offer a first-class luxury living experience through its premium hotel suites – our 5-Star Luxury Suites, firs- of-its-kind in Benin City, designed to give our guests a home-away-from-home experience; exclusive office spaces and retail center, uniquely designed for businesses that understand the importance of location and desire a serene ambiance for maximum productivity; 5-star restaurants and fine dining area – an exceptional fine dining experience that brings the best culinary experiences to life, treating our guests to delicious and stimulating local and continental meals; our Star Auditorium – the biggest auditorium in Benin City with over 2000 sitting capacity and the first-of-its-kind, with states of the art facilities.

The Zumera Tower will also features private gardens, an infinity pool, offering breathtaking views of the Benin City skyline. This project will be the pride of Benin!

The Zumera Tower project is in line with our business model which is simply to set-up stunning commercial structures that will not only transform the skyline of the community where they exist, but also add economic value that will transform the city.

Why Benin City?

I have been asked this question a lot of times and my response has always been Why Not? First and foremost, Benin city holds an emotional place in my heart, aside from being the city that opened up the doors to actualising my dream of travelling broad, Benin City has a rich historical and cultural significance.

It was said to be one of the oldest and most highly developed states in west Africa, dating back to the 11th century. In fact, the Guinness Book of Records (1974 edition) described the walls of Benin City and its surrounding kingdom as the world’s largest earthworks carried out prior to the mechanical era. The walls were said to be “four times longer than the Great Wall of China”, such an impressive architectural masterpiece.

It might also interest you to know that Benin City was one of the first cities in the world to have a semblance of street lighting. So, coming from such a strong, rich historical and cultural heritage, one would expect Benin city to be one of the most developed cities in Africa, but that is not the case. With the Zumera Tower, we are trying to restore the prestige and glory of the Benin Empire, one project at a time.

Also, Benin City is a melting point of different cultures. It is a central point that connects various cities together. There are few places in Nigeria that you will visit without having to go through Benin. Benin also has a vibrant community of highly creative, industrious and fun loving people. No city deserves it better than Benin City.

Beyond Real estate and Innovative structures, what is Zumera’s plan for the future and how does the brand intends to impact the community where it exists?

Everything we do in Zumera begins with the question, how can we create opportunities that can improve the lives of the people in our community? This is the fundamental reason why we exist as a brand. I have said this over again, that at the heart of the Zumera brand is a culture built on people. We believe that without quality people, there can be no innovation, and to have innovation at a larger scale (transformation), there is a need to build a community of quality people – we call this the Zumera effect – quality people working together as a community to achieve a common goal!

This belief in human development and the potentiality of every human, is what fuels our CSR Initiatives, which include philanthropic activities that promotes education, welfare and healthcare in Benin City. We visited the Eghosa Orphanage Home in Benin city about a year ago and have strategic investment in education, human capital developments, technology and ICT, health care and welfare initiatives that we are currently on.

It is very important that I state categorically that Zumera is not playing to become a local champion; we are here to build something innovative for the long term, anything else is a distraction. And we recognise strongly, that no brand or organization can succeed outside the community in which they exist. Our success as an organization is connected to the community where we operate, and it is only in working together to pursue shared objectives, that we can achieve meaningful development, that is beneficial both to us and our community.