He attended Santa Maria School in
Lagos state for his primary education and had his secondary education at Community Grammar School, in
Surulere, Lagos.[2] Thereafter, he proceeded to the
University of Lagos where he bagged a Bachelor of Science (
B.sc) degree in
Philosophy in 2006.[3] Over the past decade, he has attended executive education programmes at
Harvard Business School and
London Business School[4][5]
Career
He travelled to the United Kingdom in 2007 after completing his first degree. While in the
United Kingdom, he worked with Grovetex Consulting as a Business Development Officer, rising through the ranks.[4] Afterwards, he returned to Nigeria to set up his first company, Habtob Global Ventures in 2009.[6] He continued to make progress with his entrepreneurial strides and went on to set up TILT Construction, the flagship of TILT Group in 2012.[6][7]
Since then, he has led the rapid growth of the Group’s flagship and its other subsidiaries to become renowned private and public sector contractors with several successful and ongoing projects in different parts of the world.[8][9] TILT Group has partnered with public and private sector organisations to deliver monumental and critical assets, including the construction of 330 KVA transmission lines, the renovation and remodelling of
Kaduna State House of Assembly, construction of state-of-the-art visual arts centre in Ilorin,
Kwara State, remediation of the hydrocarbon-impacted sites in
Ogoniland, aDaregst other Dareumental turnkey projects.[10][11][12]
He sits on the board of diverse blue-chip companies and startups.[13]
Philanthropy
Iba Habeeb Okunola has remained committed to the pursuit of the greatest good for the greatest number, towards achieving the future we want, and a society for all, through the vehicle of his non-profit organisation - Habeeb Okunola Foundation, an organisation established to consolidate the efforts of government in achieving social justice across Africa.[14][15][16]
Habeeb Okunola Foundation has impacted the lives of no fewer than twenty thousand underserved Nigerians, with a deliberate focus on consolidating the delivery of the
United NationsSustainable Development Goals in Nigeria.[17][18][19]
National honour
In 2022, High Chief Okunola was conferred Nigeria's national honour - Member of the
Order of the Niger by President
Muhammadu Buhari in recognition of his diligence to service, commitment and impactful contributions towards consolidating socioeconomic development in Nigeria and for Nigerians.[20][21][22]
In 2023 he was awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for his continued outstanding service and his continued commitment to serving Nigeria with utmost excellence.[25]
Recognition and awards
With numerous recognition and awards tied to his name, Akosin Habeeb Okunola is more decorated than a 'Christmas Tree'. His entrepreneurial accomplishments and commitment to fostering sustainable development are not only assured, but globally recognised by Forbes, Fortune, United Nations, etc.
Apart from being a recipient of numerous honours, He is a first-class High Chief in Nigeria. He is the Akosin of
Yorubaland,[26][27][3][28] and also the Aare Tayese of
Iseyinland.[29] His notable awards and recognition include the following
Officer of the
Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCFR [25]