Jim Ovia is rich. The evidence is there to see. Zenith Bank Plc, Visafone and Civic Centre, one of Lagos iconic structures. But that’s not all, Ovia sometime ago chose to erect the first Marriott Hotel in Lagos. And the sight he chose was a refuse dump on the waterfront of Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island.

“I saw an opportunity on this refuse dump and decided to transform it into something else,” Ovia said. The new hotel, located not too far from his Civic Centre, was opened for business in December 2013.

Ovia’s wealth has been estimated at $825million (bulk of it comes from his 15 percent stake in Zenith Bank Plc). And this has earned him the ranking as Africa’s 17th richest man from Forbes. But some are saying he’s worth more than that.

But banking isn’t Ovia’s only game. He also owns an expensive real estate portfolio with landmark commercial and residential properties including the Civic Centre that houses the exclusive boat club, Aquamarine in Lagos, which has Aliko Dangote, as a member.

Given all these, Ovia still considers himself a regular guy.  “Wealth means nothing to me; it is what you do with it that is truly important. Yes, I am blessed but there is really nothing special about me. I am just a regular guy who has a hunch for identifying opportunities and taking advantage of them,” he told Forbes Africa.