What you didn’t know about Chizoba Wigwe, founder of Craneburg Construction

She was a wife to Herbert Wigwe and a mother to Chizi, Tochi, Hannah and David. But Chizoba Wigwe was even more.

Her life and career follow a journey from legal practice to successful entrepreneurship and establishing one of Nigeria’s leading construction companies, Craneburg Construction.

Here’s what to know about the late Chizoba Doreen Wigwe and her “baby”- Craneburg Construction.

Chizoba Wigwe founded Craneburg Construction in 2016. But before pivoting into the construction industry, she practiced in the legal field as an advisor, specializing in corporate law, commercial litigation and arbitration. She once served on the legal board of Access Bank after obtaining a master’s degree in International law from the University of London.

As an expert in legal practice, Chizoba was innovative and business-minded. An embodiment of ideas, she made a giant leap into business when she established Craneburg Construction, a multinational civil and building construction company situated in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. In a few years, the company grew tremendously, successfully executing various large-scale projects throughout the country.

“Just a few of us knew that Craneburg Construction Company was your baby. You would regale me with stories about size of the contracts your company was taking on and I was amazed at your trips all over the country, executing and monitoring road, infrastructure and building projects,” Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, former managing director, Arise TV, and editor at THISDAY newspaper, wrote in a tribute to the late Chizoba Wigwe.

Craneburg Construction prides itself as one of Nigeria’s largest, most diversified private construction groups, creating over 7,000 jobs across major sectors.

The company has spearheaded the construction of several buildings, expressways and bridges, including the Wigwe mansion, an edifice situated in Queens Drive, Ikoyi worth billions in dollars, which took almost two years to complete. It is said that the property was built as a family house and retirement home for the Wigwes and constructed with the finest of materials, 80% of which were imported.

The Wigwe’s edifice may be the highlight of the company’s portfolio, but it is just one among many.

“It was your construction firm that built the highways, bridges and toll plaza from Lekki Phase II all the way to and within Epe town, making the journey to Ijebu Ode in Ogun State less arduous. It was your construction firm that built roads and flyovers in Ondo, Imo, Adamawa, Ogun, Bauchi, Gombe and other states. You took on airport construction projects, oil and gas, and marine projects like fish to water. Today, Craneburg is one of Nigeria’s largest, diversified construction groups that employs 7,000 people working across all major sectors of the economy,” Nwogwugwu wrote in her tribute.

Craneburg has undertaken several major projects, including the Epe phase 1 project in 2017 which involved overseeing the reconstruction and upgrade of the Lagos Road, Professor Agbalajobi, and Oloja Estate roads.

Some of the road projects that Craneburg has been involved in include the Badeku interchange along Ife-Ibadan expressway, Yaba and Abule-Egba flyovers in Lagos, the Ijebu Ode interchange flyover at Ogun state, the 12.6km bypass road in Okitipupa, Ondo state, and the reconstruction of the Ijebu Ode-Epe Expressway in Ogun State with a flyover. The most recent project is the reconstruction of the 49.5-kilometre Lekki-Epe Expressway, which is expected to be completed in January of this year.

In addition to road projects, Craneburg has also undertaken other projects such as the construction of the vivid blue Number One Lagos building (formerly IMB Plaza) in the Victoria Island area of Lagos, the building of an Access Bank branch in Apapa, and the construction of runways at Anambra and Ogun airports.

Chizoba, who was born to established parents in the 1980s emulated their leadership and dedication. Her father was the late Chief Cyprian Chukwuemeka Nwuba, a chartered accountant who served as the African Financial Controller for Shell Petroleum Development Company, and Group General Manager of finance and accounts at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and her mother was a senior public servant who worked in the education ministry.

Her background influenced her unbreakable commitment and loyalty which showed in her relationship with her friends and family.

“Barely a week before you embarked on your final journey to the United States, I called you to introduce you to a friend of mine who wanted to build two multi-storey buildings in Lagos. Irrespective of the numerous projects that you were already handling, you were very grateful and excited at the new prospect and within 24 hours met with her and her team at their office in Ikoyi.

Chizoba, or “Chiz Baby” as her friends call her, would not see her business dreams fully actualized. Regardless, she had made a statement with Craneburg, a legacy it will hope to carry on.

“My friend is very sad at your passing but has promised to go ahead with Craneburg Construction as a mark of remembrance of your dynamism and industry,” Nwogwugwu wrote.