5 Billionaires from Niger Delta You Probably Don’t Know

The fertile lands of Nigeria’s Niger Delta boast billionaires who have through hard work, diligence and tenacity built business empires for themselves.

These entrepreneurs have amassed incredible fortunes and contributed to the region’s economic growth and transformation. While some of them are popular, you probably don’t know they hail from Niger Delta. 

So join us as we unveil five billionaires from the Niger Delta whose stories of success and wealth offer a unique glimpse into the lesser-known yet significant contributors to Nigeria’s prosperity.

Benedict Peters

Benedict Peters has demonstrated a keen interest in the mining sector across Africa. This comes as his company Bravura Holdings currently holds mining concessions for cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper in Zambia, and gold in Ghana.

Peters also owns Aiteo Eastern E & P Company Limited (AEEPC), a prominent indigenous oil exploration firm in Nigeria producing more than 90,000 barrels daily. The billionaire businessman gained widespread attention in 2019 when he ventured into platinum mining in Zimbabwe through his mining firm, Bravura Holdings. 

Igho Sanomi

Sanomi is a young Nigerian businessman with interests in several sectors including telecommunications, transportation, maritime, real estate and aviation. Sanomi founded Taleveras, a $2 billion (revenues) international commodities trading company active over a wide spectrum of global energy markets including crude oil and refined petroleum products, natural gas and power.

His company has upstream and downstream assets in a number of African countries. Sanomi’s philanthropic organisation, the Dickens Sanomi Foundation donates millions of dollars annually to causes in education and health in Africa and elsewhere.

Tony Elumelu 

Elumelu is a Nigerian entrepreneur who hails from Delta State. From leading one of the largest mergers in the banking sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, Elumelu has become a prominent figure in the African business world.

The former bank Chief leads Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment company focused on driving economic growth in Africa.  As a strong advocate for entrepreneurship, Elumelu established the Tony Elumelu Foundation. 

The foundation is dedicated to empowering and supporting African entrepreneurs through mentorship, funding, and training programs. 

Jim Ovia

Ovia established Zenith Bank, one of the largest commercial banks in Nigeria. As the chairman and largest individual shareholder with an impressive stake of 16.2%, Ovia owns prime real estate across Nigeria.

The Delta businessman has seen the value of his stake increase in value to N19.78 billion, solidifying his position as one of Nigeria’s richest entrepreneurs. 

Ned Nwoko

Known as one of the richest politicians in Delta State, Ned Nwoko undertook a symbolic expedition to Antarctica to flag off a Malaria Eradication Project.

Ned Nwoko amasses a net worth of about $1.2 billion from his businesses and numerous investments in Nigeria and abroad. He is also the founder of Mount Delta, a tourism destination approved by the Delta State Government. Nwoko who recently became the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, revealed that he was supposed to be aboard Titan, the missing submersible.