The Nigerian hospitality industry has, in the past decades, remained viable due to the influx of investors and stakeholders that have found creative ways of keeping the sector going, whether in boom or bust.
Names such as Pascal Chubuike Okechuckwu, a.k.a Cubana Chief Priest and Obinna Iyiegbu, commonly known as Obi Cubana, easily come to mind as the young Turks who revitalised the sector. However, Osborn Nweze Umahi has joined the list of young people revolutionising the hospitality sector.
26-year-old David Umahi (Jr), who is the first son of former governor of Ebonyi State and current Nigeria’s Minister of Works, is regarded as an important player in the hospitality sector since the debut of his Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, a chain of hotels and resorts in Abakiliki, Port Harcourt and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Osborn Nweze, born on March 14, 1998, had moved to London at 15-year-old and had pursued further studies, graduating at the age of 21 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Surrey, England. He followed that up a few years later with a Master’s in Finance and Investment Management from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Before he clocked 25, Osborn Nweze Umahi had proven that he was worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as his father and his billionaire uncle and old magnate, Prince Arthur Eze.
He has successfully taken over the management of his father’s company, Brass Oil and Construction Limited since the senior Umahi became governor of Ebonyi State. At the same time, the young man continued to function as director of finance at Forte GCC Innovative Solutions.
However, the birth of Osborn La-Palm Resort was his first solo effort at a business enterprise. In just a few years, the Osborn La-Palm Resort has become one of the biggest players in the Nigeria’s hospitality sector.
