5 Richest Men in the South-South 

Nigeria has some of the wealthiest individuals in Africa, and the South-South region of the country is not an exception. The region is one of the country’s wealthiest regions, making it an economic powerhouse , thanks to its abundant oil and gas reserves.

The region’s wealthiest individuals who have made their fortunes from various industries, including oil and gas, banking, real estate, amongst others have not only contributed to the economic growth of the region but also to the development of Nigeria as a whole.

In this article, we will take a look at some billionaires in the South-South region of Nigeria.

Tony Elumelu

Anthony Onyemaechi Elumelu, popularly known as Tony Elumelu, is one of the richest individuals in the South-South region of Nigeria and a renowned Nigerian entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. 

The Nigerian economist is the Chairman of Transcorp, Heirs Holdings, a family-owned investment holding company with investment interests in various sectors such as financial,hospitality,healthcare, real estate, amongst others in Africa, and the founder of the prestigious Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Tony Elumelu acquired the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in 2015 and was also named on Time’s 2020 list of the world’s top 100 most influential people.

As one of the richest individuals in the South-South region of Nigeria, Tony Elumelu has made significant contributions to the economic development of the region and the country as a whole. Through his investments in various sectors, he has created job opportunities, stimulated economic growth, and helped to reduce poverty in the region.

Jim Ovia

Another wealthy Nigerian from the south-south region in the country is Jim Ovia. He is the founder of Zenith Bank Plc, one of the most profitable financial institutions in Nigeria, founded in 1990.

The Nigerian businessman who is  responsible for leading the financial institution to become one of the profitable banks in the country is also the founder of Visafone telecommunications which has long since been acquired by MTN. He is currently the chairman of the institutions.

Benedict Peters

Benedict Peters is another richest Nigerian from the south-south region of the country. He is the founder of Aiteo Group, (Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited) one of Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil producing firms.

Benedict started his career with Ocean and Oil, now known as Oando Plc before he moved to MRS oil Nigeria Plc. He founded the Aiteo Group in 2008 with the company owning one of the largest petroleum tank farms in the country.

Igho Sanomi

Igho Charles Sanomi is one of the richest men in the south-south region of the country. He is a Nigerian billionaire businessman, geologist, public speaker and a philanthropist.

The Nigeria business is the founder of Televeras, an African business conglomerate, privately owned with interests in energy and infrastructure, oil and gas exploration, production, trading and supply, power and construction, founded in 2004.

Austin Avuru

Austin Avuru is a Nigerian businessman and entrepreneur. He co-founded Seplat Petroleum Development Company with Orjiako  through the merger of two of their companies. Seplat, an indigenous oil and gas exploration and production company was founded in 2009.

Austin who is a major key player in the Nigerian oil and gas industry is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of AA Holdings, a proprietary investment company whose core mandate is to enhance the financial and philanthropic interests of the Austin Avuru family.