In January 2016, he was chosen as a recipient of a Premio Ostana "Special Prize" for Mother Tongue Literature (Il Premio Ostana Internazionale Scritture in Lingua Madre 2016), a prize given to any individual who has done writing and notable advocacy for the defence of an indigenous language.[1][2][58][59][60] The prize ceremony was held from 2 to 5 June 2016, in the town of Ostana (Cuneo, Italy).[6][61][62] Tubosun was the first African to be so honoured by the organisation.