{"id":9280,"date":"2026-11-04T20:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/04\/soughtout-builders-and-the-case-for-engineering-integrity-on-site-businessday-ng\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T20:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:01:17","slug":"soughtout-builders-and-the-case-for-engineering-integrity-on-site-businessday-ng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/04\/soughtout-builders-and-the-case-for-engineering-integrity-on-site-businessday-ng\/","title":{"rendered":"Soughtout Builders and the case for engineering integrity on site – Businessday NG"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Soughtout Builders team arrived on site at Silvercrest Oakwood Estate, a development of 40 four-bedroom terrace duplexes on Orchid Road in Lekki, they found the land was smaller than the survey the architect had designed from.\n<\/p>\n

Once the team allowed for the setbacks the building code requires, one key space in the design came out far smaller than it should have been. \u201cWe had to stay compliant and still give the client a home that worked,\u201d says Mr Ademola Adeyemi, the company\u2019s CEO.\n<\/p>\n

The team sat down with the architect and reworked the layout on site. They moved one of the staircases to another part of the building and slightly trimmed some spaces such as the toilets. That freed enough room to bring the affected space back to a comfortable, usable size.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a lot of back-and-forth to get the balance right. The result stayed true to the original design and was fully compliant. Working closely with the architect is how we solved the survey discrepancy,\u201d Adeyemi stated.\n<\/p>\n

That way of working runs through Soughtout Builders, an engineering-led construction company for commercial and residential developments. Since its launch in May 2020, the company has delivered residential developments, commercial projects and sub-contracting work at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Its tagline, \u201cBuilding Nigeria on engineering integrity,\u201d describes how it approaches every site.<\/p>\n

From Ibadan to the building site, Adeyemi grew up in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he took an early interest in how things were built and how ideas become practical structures. He studied civil engineering at Kwara State Polytechnic and went on to study geology and mineral sciences at the University of Ilorin.\n<\/p>\n

His first real experience of construction came in 2004, on a construction project for Access Bank in Ilorin during his student industrial training. \u201cThat job taught me attention to detail, teamwork, problem solving and taking responsibility for delivering quality work. It still shapes the way I work today,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Silvercrest Oakwood showed him how much proper planning and communication prevent costly mistakes and delays. Across his 14 years in construction, he has also held the line on quality and safety when clients press for speed. \u201cDoing the job right the first time builds trust and protects the client\u2019s investment,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n

Built on referrals<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Soughtout Builders was incorporated in August 2019 and launched in May 2020. Mr Adeyemi set out to build a reliable construction company known for quality and integrity. Its first jobs came through referrals from family and friends.
\u201cWe used those relationships and opportunities to prove ourselves. To date, we treat every job like our first,\u201d he disclosed.<\/p>\n

One of the company\u2019s earliest projects was sub-contracting work at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. The work held the team to strict standards of safety, quality, coordination and execution. \u201cIt taught us discipline and teamwork, and we still hold ourselves to both,\u201d Adeyemi said.\n<\/p>\n

Supervision on every site<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

At peak, a Soughtout Builders site can have more than 100 artisans at work. The company runs its sites through clear roles and daily supervision. People are chosen for their skill and reliability and developed through hands-on supervision.\n<\/p>\n

Adeyemi is closely involved on site himself. When he is on another project, each site has a site engineer whose job is to guide and supervise the work as it happens. \u201cYou cannot leave artisans to their own devices. Consistent supervision, with technical guidance where it is needed, is one of the things that sets us apart. It shows in the quality of our projects,\u201d he posited.\n<\/p>\n

Quality is checked at every stage of work.
Structural design on Soughtout Builders projects is led by Engr. Fatai Oloko, a structural engineer who works with the company as a consultant. Engr. Atilola Atilade, a seasoned structural engineer who has mentored the team over the years, reviews the more demanding projects. Consultant architects handle the architectural design and return during construction to check what is being built against what was designed. This catches problems early and keeps the finished building true to the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery project has specialist expertise behind it at every stage. For us, engineering integrity is how we work on every site,\u201d Adeyemi stated.\n<\/p>\n

Changes mid-build<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

On the Talea Mall project, the team had already set out the building and started the blockwork when the client asked for something new. One unit was going to be a restaurant, and the client wanted a private dining section that was not in the original architectural design. \u201cA building has to work for the people who will use it, so we found a way,\u201d Adeyemi says.\n<\/p>\n

The change was agreed with the client as a formal variation. The team took down some of the walls already built, reduced a few surrounding spaces and repositioned parts of the layout. The restaurant gained a properly sized private dining area without changes to the rest of the building.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cChanges mid-construction are sometimes unavoidable, so how a contractor responds matters. Success for us is a client who walks into the finished building and finds it works exactly the way they need it to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Before you sign<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

For anyone planning a build, whether a first family home or a large commercial development, the mistake Mr Adeyemi sees most often is choosing a contractor mainly on price.\n<\/p>\n

He advises clients to look at a contractor\u2019s experience, previous projects, reputation, team, contract terms, timeline and quality standards. \u201cMost importantly, make sure the scope, specifications, payment structure and responsibilities are clearly agreed before work begins,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

.
The next five years<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Adeyemi wants building in Nigeria to become more structured and professionally executed, with less compromise on safety and engineering standards.<\/p>\n

Over the next five years, Soughtout Builders aims to become a leading and trusted construction company across Africa, in line with its vision: \u201cEngineering integrity as the foundation of Africa\u2019s built environment. We want clients to describe us as a technically sound company that delivers what it promises,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n

Outside work, Adeyemi listens to music, plays snooker and chess, and makes time for his family.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoyal Ibeh<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria\u2019s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Source: <\/p>\n

Businessday NG<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Soughtout Builders team arrived on site at Silvercrest Oakwood Estate, a development of 40 four-bedroom terrace duplexes on Orchid Road in Lekki, they found the land was smaller… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}