Teenage basketball prodigy Nosa Okunbo may not presently share the same passion as his father – the late business mogul and philanthropist, Captain Idahosa ‘Hosa’ Okunbo – but he is certainly a chip off the old block after bagging the Burj CEO and the Euroknowledge Youth Advocacy awards respectively.
His father, the late Captain Okunbo died in a UK hospital in 2021 at the age of 63. The late business mogul was the Chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited.
Nosa Okunbo grew up in the United Kingdom and developed a love for football until he travelled to study in the United States where he picked up a love for basketball.
The 19-year-old is never afraid to advocate for a better life for the less privileged, a character trait that earned him the prestigious Euroknowledge Youth Advocacy award this year for his outstanding contribution to his field. Euroknowledge, which is a leading UK-based media consulting firm, confirmed this in a statement released to the media.
In the citation, Okunbo, who is the youngest recipient in the award’s history, volunteered at High Achievers Academy UK (a supplementary study centre) from the age of 14.
He assisted in managing a youth basketball programme with more than 50 participants, who were aged between eight and 18, and mainly from poor backgrounds.
Okunbo is also a youth education advocate and spends his school term breaks volunteering at the centre where he teaches the children English comprehension, mathematics and sports, majorly basketball, which he is currently pursuing to become a professional in the United States.
“Part of Nosa Okunbo’s strategy was to raise funds for the purchase of equipment for the children including basketballs, boots, jerseys, stationery, transportation to events etc.
“He did this as part of his volunteering experience by making and distributing flyers to promote matches,” the citation for the award added.
Okunbo also bagged the Dubai-based Burj CEO awards for his outreaches through his Africa To The (ATTW) non-profit organization. ATTW was founded this year.
In a recent question and answer session, he described the recognitions as “humbling experiences”.
“I am proud of what my father did, and after winning the Burj CEO and the Euroknowledge Youth awards, it was an extremely humbling experience and, who knows, maybe someday I will go into business, but right now I’m focusing on the present and seeing how far I want to take basketball,” Okunbo said.
