City Businessman, Habeeb Okunola Breaks New Ground

High Chief Habeeb Okunola, MON, is, without doubt, a shining light in Nigeria’s business firmament. He is armed with years of experience, imbibing discipline and doggedness to break new grounds with his flagship TILT Group of companies.

Born with the proverbial silver spoon, but that privileged status has never taken away from him the virtue of hard work and self-discipline. It has been said of him that when some of his friends in the same category were busy lavishing their fathers’ money, the University of Lagos Philosophy graduate refused to allow that to get into his head, and chose to build on the opportunities and steadily built and secured his own future.

Okunola has built and is still building a formidable business empire. He has his hands in many pies of the economy, from real estate, oil and gas, technology, agriculture, and engineering. He sits atop a blue-chip company and other startup companies which are all doing well. Like the mustard seed, the business he started with little has grown into a multi-million Naira empire standing tall. 

The Akosin of Yorubaland is an embodiment of humanness. Those close to him have disclosed that nobody with tears sees him and leaves without a smile on his or her face. Some even say he is a giver who gives without blinking an eyelid.

His Habeeb Okunola Foundation, through its realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, touched many lives and also gave a lifeline to many who have lost hope. He has impacted millions of vulnerable and underprivileged people in Nigeria and the Benin Republic, most especially in the area of financial inclusion, education, health and prison reforms.

This and many more of his numerous achievements caught the rapt attention of President Buhari who conferred on the business czar a national award as Member of the Order of Niger MON last year.

His charitable strides over the years only support the axiom that “If you have been blessed with wealth, it is not just enough to live the life of your dreams; what is most important is the legacy you leave behind and how many lives you have impacted positively.”

Society Watch gathered that last month, in the spirit of the Yuletide season, the Foundation extended its hands of love to aged women, widows and other households during which it distributed food items to the poor. Not only that, he also distributed educational materials to students from less privileged backgrounds across Lagos State.