Kwara State’s sports writers say Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has stayed true to his roots and community despite years of success abroad, honouring him as he marked his 29th birthday.
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Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been celebrated by the Kwara State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Kwara SWAN) for staying connected to his roots despite a long career in European football.
The tribute came as Awoniyi marked his 29th birthday this week. In a statement, Kwara SWAN chairman Ayodeji Ismail described the striker as a man of great virtues whose life reflects selflessness, humility and service to his community, praising his continued embrace of “Omoluabi” values, a Yoruba concept denoting good character, integrity and communal responsibility, despite his long-standing status as a foreign-based professional.
An Inspiration Beyond The Pitch
Ismail described Awoniyi as an inspiration for emerging talents across Kwara State and Nigeria more broadly, commending his contributions to social service, community development and human empowerment. The statement, issued on behalf of Kwara SWAN, wished Awoniyi continued health, success and prosperity as he marked the occasion alongside his twin sister.
From Ilorin To The Premier League
Born in Ilorin, Kwara State, on 12 August 1997, Awoniyi joined Imperial Football Academy in Ogun State in 2010 and rose to prominence at the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, where he scored four goals to help Nigeria win the tournament. He went on to represent Nigeria at the 2015 Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand after helping the Flying Eagles win the African U-20 Championship in Senegal, and scored twice on his debut for Nigeria’s Under-23 side against Zambia later that year, a performance that helped the team qualify for the All-Africa Games and earned him a place in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Awoniyi was also part of Nigeria’s squad at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, scoring in a 3-1 group stage win over Sudan. Since then, his club career has taken him through Germany and Belgium before he settled at Nottingham Forest, where he remains one of the club’s key attacking players.
📌 Did You Know?
- Awoniyi and his twin sister share the same birthday, and the Kwara SWAN tribute specifically acknowledged her as part of the celebration.
- His journey through Imperial Football Academy connects him to a wider pipeline of Nigerian talent that has come through similar academies before reaching Europe.
- The 2013 Golden Eaglets squad that won the U-17 World Cup, in which Awoniyi played a starring role, remains one of the most celebrated youth teams in Nigerian football history.
- Awoniyi’s route to the Premier League included loan spells in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands before he established himself permanently at Union Berlin and later Nottingham Forest.
- He has scored two goals in ten appearances for Nigeria’s senior team, a modest international return compared to his prolific club form in the Bundesliga and Premier League.
- Kwara State, where Awoniyi was born, has produced several other notable Nigerian footballers and remains a hub of grassroots football development in the country’s north central region.
- “Omoluabi,” the term used to describe Awoniyi in the tribute, is a Yoruba philosophical concept combining good character, respect, hard work and communal responsibility.
