Dr Muhammed Kassim Olatunde Balogun, popularly called MKO plays big in real estate. He is into Facility Management. He was born in Ibadan, Oyo State of Nigeria, to the late Dr Abdul Ghani Kola Balogun (a trade unionist, politician, sports administrator, civil administrator) and late Alhaja Memunat Balogun, on July 5, 1967.
MKO’s educational pursuit continued when he entered the prestigious Lagos Business School of Pan Atlantic University for his Executive MBA in 2004 and graduated in 2006. He started his PhD degree in Entrepreneurship in 2012 at Walden University, US, in December 2012, he was honoured among other Nigerians in faraway Dubai with a PhD in Management by Commonwealth University, Belize. His work experience has taken him around various organisations, industry sectors, functions and he always leaves indelible marks of achievement on his trail, everywhere he has been, the experiences prepared him for his entrepreneurial sojourn and focus on facilities management, from CFAO to UAC -GM; Leventis; Mr Biggs; Bemil Security, UBA, MM2. MKO left paid employment in 2008 to focus and grow his enterprise, Domme FM Ltd, a company he started with his project colleagues from the MBA as an MBA project. MKO is the MD/CEO of Global Property & Facilities International Ltd and was MD of WSP FMC Nigeria, a position he took after the merger of Domme FM Ltd with WSP FMC Nigeria Ltd in 2012. As MD/CEO, MKO has grown the business from a local Nigerian company to a company spreading across Africa with operations across 5 African Countries, he has also grown and stabilised the business since taking over in 2012 taking the company through mergers and rebranding.
He is a member of the board of directors of Premier Paints Plc and the Chairman of the Strategy Committee of the board. MKO volunteered as a lecturer for the Masters in Facilities Management Program at the Department of Estate Management, School of Environmental Sciences, the University of Lagos when the program commenced in 2009 until he was appointed in 2014 as an Adjunct Lecturer, and continues to lecture on the program till date introducing several innovations to improving the knowledge and skills of the students such as – guest lecturer series; practical projects; visit existing buildings to enable the students see FM in real terms. MKO is a recipient of many awards and recognitions from all over the world, including FM Personality of the Year – Africa, Honorary Doctorate Degree, among others.
Congratulations on the 10th-anniversary celebrations of your company’s merger.
Tell us about the significance of the anniversary.
The celebration is significant in many ways:
For business partnership – it’s a long journey, a lot of similar mergers don’t last and or don’t deliver the objective of the merger and the parties in the merger. For me, taking the business at the time we merged to the position it is in the Nigerian and African market not just in the industry but in the general business environment is significant.
What we have been able to do especially influencing the industry in a lot of ways, locally and continentally, is significant. We are registered and operating in 10 countries in Africa.
We have 2 other businesses in Nigeria, security business and a development business
We have received numerous local and global recognition for our contribution to the industry, the economy of the country and indeed the continent.
There is WSP FMC and Domme FM. There is also GPFI. What is the relationship among these companies?
FMC – Facility Management Company Nigeria Ltd, was established by senior professionals in the Built Environment – like Engr Ibikunle Ogunbayo FNSE, former COREN President, founder and Chairman of KOA Associates, a renowned Engineering Firm in Nigeria, Arc. Dipo Adebo, former Secretary, Africa Institute of Architects, founder of the renowned Hotel Architectural firm DAA; Mr, Segun Ajanlekoko, former President, Commonwealth Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mr. Biodun Disu, Executive Chairman of PPC and late Mr Inam Udoma, who in 2000 decided to set up the first facility company in Nigeria.
In 2003, they invited the global engineering company WSP to partner with them leading to the change of name to WSP FMC.
During our MBA at Lagos Business School, our final year project was the setting up of a Facility Management company. During the process, we agreed we will set up the company after graduation. In 2007 we registered the company – Domme Facility Management Ltd, founded by Doyin Adeyinka, who is our current Chairman and MD/CEO of Acorn Petroleum, myself, MKO, Mutalib Ismail (3 of use were on the project at the LBS) and Ernest Abhulimen.
We were lucky to have been supervised by Prof Doyin Salami, current Economic Adviser to the President, who has continued to support the business till today.
We started operating in 2007 and merged with WSP FMC in 2012, which is what we are celebrating the 10 yrs. All the founders of FMC are still involved in providing us, the current leadership the needed guidance and support.
Can you tell us a bit about what you do? Is it still Facility Management?
Yes, we are still doing facility management but in a different way, in the sense that, we are offering our clients all that they want within the real estate space – so we offer real estate services. We have also established a Security Company focused on integrated security solutions, as well as a development company, focused on special projects. We are currently exploring 3 different areas at the moment.
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