SDNON President Hails Dr. Osahon Okunbo as Vanguard Names Him Young Entrepreneur of the Year

SDNON President Adeniyi Ifetayo Congratulates Dr. Osahon Okunbo for Vanguard Award

The President of the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria (SDNON), Adeniyi Ifetayo, has congratulated Dr. Osahon Okunbo, Executive Director of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), on his recognition as Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 by Vanguard Newspapers.

Dr. Okunbo received the prestigious honour on April 24, 2026, at the Convention Centre of Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, as part of the Vanguard Personality of the Year Awards, one of Nigeria’s most respected annual recognitions of excellence across public and private life.

The award, approved by Vanguard’s Board of Editors, acknowledges Dr. Okunbo’s investments and leadership across hospitality, oil and gas, agriculture, arts, and the built environment — sectors widely regarded as central to Nigeria’s economic diversification and growth.

In a congratulatory statement issued on behalf of SDNON, Ifetayo described the recognition as well-deserved, noting that Dr. Okunbo exemplifies the kind of enterprise-driven patriotism that Nigeria urgently needs at this stage of its development.

“Dr. Osahon Okunbo’s recognition by Vanguard Newspapers is a testament to what focused, values-driven entrepreneurship can achieve. On behalf of the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria, I congratulate him on this outstanding honour and wish him continued success in his many endeavours,” Ifetayo said.

The award was presented to Dr. Okunbo by former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba, at an investiture ceremony attended by dignitaries from across the country.

Speaking after receiving the honour, Dr. Okunbo described the recognition as a “full circle moment,” pointing to the emotional significance of receiving an award previously bestowed on his late father, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, by the same institution. He credited his entrepreneurial orientation to his father’s influence and the values instilled in him from an early age.

The Chief Executive Officer of Aruwa Capital Management, Adesuwa Rhodes Okunbo, who also spoke at the event, noted that the honour reflects a strong family tradition of enterprise, adding that the family remains proud of Osahon’s sustained efforts to build on that legacy.

Beyond his business interests, Dr. Okunbo is the founder of The Osahon Okunbo Foundation, which promotes African arts and creative expression through strategic support for artists and institutions. He also serves on the board of the National Theatre Lagos — now the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts — where he contributes to the revitalisation of Nigeria’s cultural infrastructure.

Other recipients at the Vanguard awards ceremony included the Governors of Zamfara, Taraba, Cross River, and Yobe states; former Governor Jim Nwobodo; Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo; Bishop Hassan Kukah; and businessman Sayyu Dantata, among other distinguished Nigerians.