Chidinma: Succeeding In Citizenship, Residency Investment Programmes

Ms Okebalama Chidinma is an expert in investment migration, a senior consultant at Henley & Partners, playing the role of client advisor.

According to Chidinma, “I advise clients and their advisors on investment migration, be it citizenship by investment or residency by investment. My role is not just only client facing; i have a lot of interactions with introducers and intermediaries and wealth management providers who have access to high net-worth individuals (HNIs).”

Speaking on her transitioning from being an electrical engineer to becoming a senior consultant at Henley & Partners, Chidinma said: “Yes! I graduated as an electrical engineer from Northeastern University in Boston. I worked as a system test engineer and a process engineer, and that role exposed me to a lot of dealings with requirements, tests and an analytical thinking.

“Now, being a senior consultant at Henley & Partners, where I deal with clients and their advisors, the journey has been, I would say, a seamless transition for me, because I’ve homed in on my skills as an engineer in terms of being able to find a solution for the immigration needs of my clients and being able to find solution to difficult situations within a family setting. It involves some kind of engineering skills, for me to properly understand what my clients want, (which could be investment migration, for a second passport or a second residency), and then tailor a solution, based on the information they have given me.”

Chidinma has achieved a lot in her career, but the most significant professional achievement is at Henley & Partners, when she hands over a passport to her clients and she sees the smile on their faces. “You see the gratitude in their hearts. Most times, some of them go as far as writing a recommendation by email or even introducing me to somebody who could use our services. That is when I know that I’m doing my job and doing it well,” she asserted.

On balancing work life with social life, Chidinma said: “Yes, there are sometimes where you have to push harder and focus a little bit more on work for different seasons, but then you have to also know when to take a break and go and rejuvenate and then come back.”

Though, Chidinma has worked in many markets, her primary focus is on the Nigerian market and the reason for that is not far-fetched. According to her, “I focus primarily on the Nigerian market. But it goes without saying that I’ve had clients from other parts of the world and other nationalities of the world. But the simple fact is, we’re located in Nigeria, we have an office in Lagos and in Abuja. Anyone in the West African region would typically be sent to us in terms of an inquiry.”

The African market doesn’t come without its unique challenges, Chidinma averred even as she revealed that, “There was a time where we had a lot of issues with clients not being able to transfer their funds, because the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) changes the laws. Other challenges include unavailability of forex, exchange rate and devaluation of naira.”

With these challenges, Chidinma sees opportunities, even as she urged clients that the earlier one does his/her passport, the better for him/her. “You can go ahead and get your passports, residency, European citizenship, and not be worried about the fluctuation in the exchange rate, the devaluation of the naira, or the availability of foreign exchange,” she added.

Citing an example, she said, “a client recently made a decision to get an Antiguan passport before the price goes up. We finished his application in about two weeks. This saved him over $100,000 because the price of the Antiguan citizenship by investment went up drastically.

Sometimes when there are challenges like this, it also creates an opportunity for you to strike while it’s hot.”
Henley & Partners is planning a global migration conference in West Africa this October, Chidinma disclosed, adding that, “we will be hosting an investment migration road show, for the first time in West Africa. We will be starting in Abuja. This event is going to feature some of our highly esteemed partners that we have worked with over the years, representing different programmes. We have Mercan group representing Portugal and Spain real estate. We have Bridge Partners for our UK program, Startup visa services for our Canada programs. We also have Range developments for the Caribbean programs and Eb-5 partner as well, among others.

“The half day conference will see some of our clients, prospects, intermediaries and introducers from the banks, law firms, asset management firms etc, coming together to talk about the latest trends in investment migration and what to expect in the near future. Also, we will be on ground to answer any questions and inquiries that our prospects and clients might have, because the programs keep evolving.”

Education And Career
Chidinma obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston.

She started her career as system engineer at Raytheon from 2005 to 2010, before joining Henley & Partners as senior client advisor.