Ibitoye receives 2025 FUBS Personality of the Year Award

Ibitoye receives 2025 FUBS Personality of the Year Award

Amiable sports journalist Oluwatoyin Ibitoye has formally received the 2025 Family United by Sport (FUBS) Personality of the Year award.

The presentation was held on Monday at the Hotsports Studios in Lagos with sports entrepreneur Taye Ige as chief host.

The award ceremony was attended by members of the foremost sports online platform in Nigeria, friends, family and colleagues of Ibitoye, who previously served as the Super Eagles Media Officer.

The Chairman of the FUBS Personality of the Year Electoral Committee, Kweku Tandoh explained to the gathering the transparent process of the election for FUBS Person which has more than 300 members spread across the world including three former sports ministers; three Directors General of the sports ministry; all presidents of the sporting federations, sports editors and managers and other very high-level persons associated with sports. He commended the former vice-president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Seyi Akinwunmi and his team for establishing the electoral framework that guided the process.

“It was a very close contest and Toyin (Ibitoye) ticked all the criteria listed for a member to emerge as the FUBS Personality of the Year,” Dr Tandoh said.

The host of the event, and CEO of HotSports Limited, Mr Taye Ige, said he accepted to host the event at short notice because of the people involved. He described the Chief Administrator of FUBS, Godwin Enakhena and Ibitoye as two persons he could twist himself to honour.

“I can’t say no to Godwin; we have come a very long way together. As for Toyin, I am older, but he is somebody that I can stand up and offer my seat to.”

Earlier, Enakhena had thanked members of FUBS and admonished journalists to always investigate matters very well and treat each administrator independently, rather than branding all Nigerian sports administrators as “thieves” as not everyone falls into that category.

Ibitoye, who attended the ceremony alongside his wife, Tola, said he was amazed by the calibre of the persons he contested against, considering the fact that he actually nominated one of them.

Ibitoye, who served as an aide to the sports minister a few years ago, appealed to people, especially administrators, to address issues with an open mind while thanking God and everyone for the opportunities he got in life to rise.

“The man you are planning to deal with because he has an opposing view on a minor issue may turn out to be your main supporter in a much bigger issue tomorrow,” he said.

Special appreciation was also extended to notable sports stakeholders, including Harry Iwuala, Pius Ayinor, Waidi Akanni, Charles Anazodo, Onye Nwachukwu, and Ntiense Williams, who were at the event for their continued support of the initiative.

Apart from the commemorative plaque, Oluwatoyin Ibitoye was presented with a ₦250,000 cash prize and a return flight ticket to Abuja aboard Value Jet airlines.

Ibitoye becomes the seventh winner of the prestigious award. The first was won by late Dapo Sotuminu (2018); the current NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu (2019); Abba Yola (2020); Chris Emeruwa (2021); Daniel Igali (2022); Liameed Gafar (2023); rested in 2024 in honour of Sotuminu, who passed on just as the election process began and Toyin Ibitoye (2025).