The greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold,” Dan Brown rightly posited. The history of Adaralegbe Akintayo, a real estate merchant and CEO of T-Pumpy Concepts, is one which proves that a change of perspective is all it takes to see the light.

Adaralegbe Akintayo founded T-Pumpy Concepts in 2010, but spent five years acquiring lands and properties in Abuja, before officially opening for business in the Federal Capital Territory in 2015, with three staff. The company subsequently expanded to two more states; Ekiti and Oyo, and now with a staff strength that runs into hundreds.

Adaralegbe Akintayo was born into a lower-class family in Ilorin, Kwara State, and grew to watch his father struggle to raise their living standard as a photographer. His mother engaged in several types of trade, all in the bit to support her husband and take care of the children.

Taught the brutal lessons of life, that it is not kind to anyone, the Adaralegbe Akintayo was determined to make a difference, rise from obscurity, and make a name that will resonate across the world. The company stands as one of the most trusted and reliable real estate enterprise in Nigeria, transforming the landscape and providing affordable housing to all classes of people.

As a game changer and employers of labour, the impact made Adaralegbe Akintayo’s company under six years was acknowledged two years ago, when the founder, who turned 40 in 2022, was named “Real Estate Personality of the Year” at the Global Excellence Recognition Awards in 2021.

But his journey to stardom and picking the valuable experiences did not start for Adaralegbe Akintayo until he secured admission into the university. One attribute traceable to him is his deep marketing strategy and understanding of business trends. To sustain himself and be less-dependent on his struggling parents back home, the businessman became a thrift collector on campus, without minding the shame associated with it or the ridicule from fellow students.

He switched to photography after a while to take advantage in the pre-smart phone era. Photography was a cash cow on campuses back then. In the early days of GSM in Nigeria, he started a call booth and recharge card business at Lugbe in Abuja.

The T-Pumpy Concepts owner was posted to Ebonyi State for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps. Adaralegbe Akintayo continued his business there and further consolidated after serving the country. He introduced customer-friendly charges on calls and lowered prices of recharge card vouchers, in order to attract customers. The grand strategy worked and he struggled to cope with the influx of customers.

“If others were selling recharge cards for N50, I sold mine for a cheaper price and that made people rush to my booth. I had about five phones in my booth which were constantly busy at any given time. Sometimes, about 20 people would be in my booth making or receiving calls, and some were still queuing up to use my services. My employees and I were constantly busy”, he narrated.

His business place also attracted real estate marketers who, after marketing to his customers, would position their signage at his shop. After he was approached by them to help sell lands and properties, he initially turned down the offer, until he realised how much money he could make. According to the realtor, he made N330,000 in just two transactions.

“Someone walked up to me and told me that he had a property he wanted me to manage. I told him I was not interested, moreover, I have no experience in that business, but he insisted”, said Adaralegbe Akintayo.

The events thereafter birthed one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country. Adaralegbe Akintayo has revealed that plans are ongoing to expand to Lagos and other states in the country.