Follow Us on Google
Ten years ago, Dr Augustine Onwumere and his wife, Dr Jayne Onwumere stumbled into a unique invention that gave the world the first real estate network marketing business model. Today, they have redefined real estate practice in the country even as their creation, Property World Africa Network (PWAN) Group focuses on people’s empowerment. As the firm marks a decade of empowering greatness, Dr. Onwumere says PWAN Group is set to cause change in Nigeria through entrepreneurship.
“PWAN is the first real estate network marketing company in the world,” he noted. “We celebrate our convention on March 12 every year, because this company made our first sales on March 12, 2012. And my wife’s birthday falls on March 6. Recently, we started what we call Night of A Thousand Praise. So, it’s a double celebration.
“We believe that worshiping and thanking God, as a company, is one of the sacrifices we have to give to our God who created us and made PWAN Group possible in Nigeria. PWAN has created a great kingdom of realtors that have put people as number one priority; people’s safety, people’s deliverance, people’s financial uplift and breakthroughs, through the real estate platform. The firm has empowered over 400,000 people and employed over 1000 workers. We have opened more than 100 centres and we have real estates in over 200 locations. We are empowering people through the power of network marketing, we are the best and we remain the best to the glory of God.”
So, what does the theme – One Nation, One Network mean?
Said he: “We want the whole world to be unified by the vision of PWAN, using the network of the PWAN Business Owners (PBO) system.”
Explaining what gave PWAN Group the edge over other real estate firms in Nigeria, Onwumere explained: “First of all, we have removed competition from the outside world by empowering people, delivering people from poverty, hardship, through a learning process and mind-opening lectures. We have kind of left real estate and focused on platform delivery of real estate through seminars. That’s why we are different and we will not stop recruiting people. Eleven years ago, my wife and I were broke and had no money to rent an apartment where we can abode. But today, we can buy any house, anywhere and any day.
“There are so many real estate companies, some of those companies make a lot of money in Nigeria. But none of them is making the kind of impact that PWAN is making. PWAN Group had brought to many people hope. We built an organization where a Ph.D. holder is practically on equal footing with a primary school certificate holder. As long as you can talk even if in your native language, there are so many people that can understand your language and patronise you. So you can see a Ph.D. holder and a primary school holder sitting together and doing the same business. That’s the industry we run, and the impact is huge.”
He insisted that Nigeria could change in no time if the people actually want a change, urging the government to partner with PWAN to achieve a workable economic system for the country.
“If we all agree that we are going to be change agents through the power of entrepreneurship and decide to be better people, we can make light to be constant in Nigeria just because we have a setup in a global organization like PWAN. The government will support us by not taking any singular action of destruction. We have to build this house and salvage this house.”
After a successful decade of PWAN, what’s next? Dr Onwumere has an answer. “I don’t think that there is an end to the levels. We are moving into the building of skyscrapers. We have acquired 4, 500 Square kilometres of land in the Eko Atlantic City project. So we are starting with a Twin Towers at Eko Atlantic, comprising residential and commercial quarters. We started that project in November 2021and has five years to deliver the project. We have done the soil test. It is a very capital-intensive project and we are going to do it in partnership with another reputable organisation. There is no wall around us. People must come in; just come in and let us do business together. Let us help you to make your homeownership dream a reality, which is our number one vision in the PWAN Group.”
Such a position as chairman of a highly successful conglomerate has its challenges and attractions. Dr Onwumere agreed.
“If not for this convention/anniversary I will probably be visiting one state after the other, doing my business. I don’t like travelling by commercial flights or be delayed without my consent. I want to get to the airport and as I’m waking in, the tarmac is opening and I am walking right into my waiting private jet. This is not because I want to show off. I just want to do my business with a measure of convenience and in the absence of undue interruptions.
“Yes, there are tight and hectic schedules, but if Dangote can handle it, that I can equally handle it. I have been engaging the services of Personal Assistants (PAs) on different levels. I already have four; but it is not enough. I will get to the point where PAs can sign my cheques to make payments for things or services. Being busy cries for two kinds of hearts: the heart of being rich, and the heart of being poor. The heart of being rich requires that you have everything you need at your disposal. If life is good, you sleep under good conditions and good security. But the responsibility is very high towards other people, towards the promise you have made through your services and products – which is what brings income to you. Because you have to meet up with the promises your business or your person is offering people, you have to have the heart that only wealthy people have. What does it mean? You may not be able to sleep eight hours a day, but you can take a holiday after some three or four months of active work for like two weeks. A poor person may not be able to do that. You can travel to any part of the world and have a good sleep. I am in the process of having a passport that can take me to up to 178 countries in the world. At that level, I can wake up any day and take a holiday. But the heart of being poor, of not being able to feed three times a day, not being able to recharge your phone, not having money to dash people is the worst kind of heart you should never pray to be your portion.”
He appreciated the clients that started with the company ten years ago and assured them of even greater times in the future.
