With President Muhammadu Buhari handing out well-deserved national honours, it is obvious to all and sundry that this is a good time to be great. Of course, it is too late to start contributing to Nigeria’s growth and development enough to be recognised by the president. Nevertheless, with deserving individuals like Habeeb Okunola as a model, it shouldn’t be too difficult to earn national honours in the coming year.
Okunola, the Managing Director of TILT Group, one of the foremost Nigerian civil engineering and construction companies in Nigeria, was among the 400-plus persons that received distinguished national honours a few days ago. Handing out these awards for good deeds and contributions to Nigeria’s budding success story, President Buhari has inadvertently set them up as models and paragons to be emulated by their peers and subordinates, and Nigerians at home and abroad.
For Okunola, there is much to say. Despite being one of the most successful individuals in the country, only a handful of people have an idea how he was able to grow a business empire with at least 10 different but equally strong business interests. Specifically, Okunola’s TILT Group has its fingers in the different flavours of the typical industry pie. These include construction, engineering, real estate, energy, oil and gas, dredging, agriculture, trading, asset management, and technology.
In truth, Okunola’s story is not altogether different from that of the typical Nigerian. He was born in Lagos in 1981 and attended the now-famous Community Grammar School, Surulere, Lagos. He graduated from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and went on to Harvard Business School to consolidate his learning.
All that academic and professional acquisition eventually reinforced his efforts to assist the Nigerian government in delivering sustainable growth and development to the people. Unsurprisingly, his efforts have taken many forms, including TILT and his Habeeb Okunola Foundation, the non-profit organization that Okunola built up to promote social justice.
Okunola’s grace-to-glory journey is not yet at its peak. Nevertheless, the national honours from President Buhari will serve as a strong incentive for him to do and be more.
