Ruth Obih-Obuah: Revolutionalising real estate sector

If there is any female entrepreneur in Nigeria that has shown grit and resilience in the real estate sector, it is Ruth Obih.
Ruth’s success is a lesson to young female Nigerians that no specific sector is meant for men alone and that success is mostly earned.
Chief executive officer of 3Invest, a real estate brand, Ruth is a lawyer, but ventured into the sector to, according to her, fill the gap with innovative platforms that would change the way investors and consumers approach the industry in the future.
Ruth set up 3Invest in December 2007 and created the company’s corporate real estate model in 2016 with the launch of Lagos Cowork, which is the first time-share cowork space providing flexible office spaces to start-ups and growing businesses.
As a born entrepreneur, she only worked for 11 months at Ajumogobia and Okeke’s chamber before setting up her real estate firm.
After her secondary education in 1995, Ruth proceeded to Imo State University, where she graduated in law in 2001. After her Nigerian Law School education, she went on to drink from the intellectual fountains of Pan Antlantic University (2009) and Havard Business School (2015), obtaining a certificate in Entrepreneurship Management and another certificate in Real Estate Management Program respectively.
Ruth is pasionate about the way people live, work and invest. By this, the entrepreneur means she wants to help people live well by providing better and secured home. She has a project called Real Estate Investor Network, which is meant to raise property portfolio for investors. A large number of investors have already signed onto this, Start-Up Digest understands.
Ruth believes in building values into business and is desirous of seeing the huge housing gap closed.
Why did she choose real estate rather than law? In an interview with BusinessDay in 2013, Ruth gave this explanation.
“I have a picture that has two caps, one is construction cap and the other a lawyer’s wig. One thing about real estate is that at the end of the day, you cannot have a successful business without a lawyer. So why not be both if you can. There is a bit of law in real estate, so it suits me well,” she told BusinessDay.
The entrepreneur hosts a weekly real estate show called Real Estate On Air on Classic FM and Beat FM in Lagos.
“I provide information portals through my radio show and my online premier real estate information service, which are all free for public consumption,” she said.
Ruth believes that job creation and technology are the true impact of real estate on the economy.
In the then BusinessDay interview she said, “Exploring the use of technology would generally increase employment. This is what 3Invest will be looking into in the nearest future. 3Invest will seek to create direct jobs while also increasing opportunities.”
Though a few women are coming into real estate, the sector is still largely male-dominated. But how does Ruth cope?
“The real estate industry is male-dominated, but as a woman in their midst, it strengthens me because, though I may act like a man because of the nature of the business, I can think like a woman, which is also who I am.
“Knowing who you are and what you want to achieve are very important. You don’t have to appear as being weak because you are a woman; you can achieve great heights and do the seemingly impossible if only you believe.”
Ruth enourages women and entrepreneurs to keep moving and not to lose focus or get discouraged owing to certain situations or threats.
“Go the extra mile and put your effort in what you are called to do. At the end of it, you will have reasons to smile.”

ODINAKA ANUDU