The studio
Based in Ilorin. Built to work across Nigeria.
DICKALO is an architecture and construction practice with one permanent base in Ilorin and project experience across Nigeria. We bring design, technical coordination and site delivery into one accountable team.
Where we work
Rooted in one place. Ready for many.
Ilorin is our working base. It is where briefs become drawings, materials are tested and the design and construction teams sit close enough to solve problems in the same conversation.
Our reach is national. We have worked on projects in different states and organise each commission around its actual location, programme and supply chain. When the site is outside Kwara, the site team lives close to the work and the Ilorin studio remains connected through scheduled reviews and clear weekly reporting.
That balance matters to us: the continuity of one permanent studio, with the practical ability to mobilise wherever the right project is in Nigeria.
- Based
- Ilorin, Kwara State
- Available
- Nationwide
- Experience
- Projects across Nigeria
Studio to site
The detail travels with the team.
We use models, samples and coordinated drawings to settle the work before it reaches site. The same people then review how those decisions are being built, wherever the project is located.
How we work
The habits that keep distant sites connected.
- 01
One team owns the whole answer
Architecture, construction and interiors sit together in Ilorin. Decisions move between the drawing table and the site without being lost between separate companies.
- 02
The site changes the design
Climate, access, local skills and available materials shape every project. We design for the place where the building will stand, not for a generic presentation image.
- 03
Distance needs a clear system
For projects outside Kwara, we establish the right resident site team, reporting rhythm and procurement route before work begins. Nationwide delivery is planned, not improvised.
- 04
We speak before a risk becomes a delay
Every active project has a visible programme, cost position and decision list. When something changes, the client hears the reason and the proposed action early.
A foundation of experience
Our work speaks.
The numbers stand behind it.
Projects delivered
Across eight states
Years building in Nigeria
Since 2011
Handed over on schedule
Measured against signed contract dates
People on the team
Ilorin studio and project sites
The team
One studio. Different disciplines.
The people responsible for design, construction and interiors work together from Ilorin and travel to project sites across Nigeria.
Chidi Okafor
Founder & Principal Architect
Leads the studio and reviews every project at key design and construction stages. His work keeps the original brief intact through handover.
- ARCON registered
- M.Arch, University of Lagos
Amara Eze
Director of Construction
Leads construction planning and site delivery across Nigeria. She keeps programme, quality and procurement moving toward handover.
- COREN registered
- B.Eng Civil Engineering, UNN
Segun Adeyemi
Head of Design
Leads concept and technical design from the first site study through coordinated drawings. He turns ambitious ideas into buildable details.
- ARCON registered
- M.Arch, TU Delft
Ngozi Umeh
Head of Interiors
Leads interior planning, material specification and installation. She makes every finish practical to source and maintain in Nigeria.
- IDAN member
- BA Interior Architecture, Kingston
Join the studio
Bring work you can explain.
We look for architects who understand site work, construction people who can read a detail and interior designers who care how materials perform after handover. Send a concise portfolio and tell us what you were responsible for.
careers@dickalo.comWork with us
Have a project anywhere in Nigeria?
Tell us where the site is, what you want to build and the stage you are at. Our Ilorin team will reply with the right first step within two working days.
Start a conversation