Founder and Chairman of The Osa Okunbo Foundation, and Executive Director of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, Dr. Osahon Okunbo, has been honoured with the prestigious Headlamp Award – The Creative Legacy Builder at the 2025 Flavours of Nigeria Festival in Brampton, Canada.
President and Convener of the festival, Chuks Anyaduba, said Okunbo’s nomination was inspired by his “unwavering dedication to the advancement of the arts in Africa and his philanthropy through The Osa Okunbo Foundation.”
Dr. Okunbo was represented at the event by Mr. Paul Idemudia, who delivered his acceptance speech at the colourful ceremony, which also recognised other notable recipients.
In his remarks, Okunbo expressed gratitude to the organisers and reflected on the symbolism of the Headlamp Award.
“It is a privilege to receive the Headlamp Award. I want to thank the organisers of the Flavours of Nigeria Festival for this meaningful honour. I’ve been thinking about the word ‘headlamp.’ It’s a powerful image – the idea of lighting the way forward, especially when the path is uncertain.
That’s what leadership has always meant to me: not walking ahead for the sake of being seen, but carrying light. So others can see. So others can move. So others can believe it’s possible.
At The Osa Okunbo Foundation, we support artists, storytellers, and young visionaries – people with talent but limited access. What we try to give them is not just opportunity, but clarity. A way to see what’s ahead. A way to build what’s never been done before.
The theme of this year’s festival, A Cultural Voyage, could not be more fitting. Culture is the map. It holds our past, but it also charts our future. And in moments like these, when the world can feel fragmented and uncertain, our culture becomes a compass. It reminds us who we are and what we carry.”The award was presented to Okunbo’s representative by the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada, Ambassador Abba Zanna-Kawu.
The evening celebrated Nigerian arts, culture, cuisine, and music, alongside contributions from other nationalities, as part of the festival’s mission to promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage in the diaspora.
