IGHO CHARLES SANOMI II

Born on May 17, 1975, in Agbor, Delta State, but proudly hailing from Ughelli South in Delta’s Urhobo heartland, Igho Charles Sanomi II has built a life that bridges continents. He is an energy entrepreneur whose influence is felt on Geneva’s trading floors, but whose philanthropy flows back to the communities of Nigeria.

Raised in a home of discipline and service — his father, Dickens O. Sanomi was an Assistant Inspector General of Police, and his mother, a nurse — young Igho learned that achievement meant nothing without impact. That conviction stayed with him as he studied Geology and Mining at the University of Jos. By the early 2000s, he had founded Taleveras Group, a trading firm that grew into one of Africa’s energy giants. With offices in Geneva and London, Taleveras secured global crude and refined product contracts, establishing Sanomi as one of the few Nigerians to thrive in Europe’s competitive energy markets. Yet wealth alone was never the destination.

In 2011, he co-founded the Dickens Sanomi Foundation, channelling his resources into education, healthcare, and community development. When floods ravaged Delta communities in 2012, the Foundation launched Project Rescue Flood Victims, providing relief to more than 12,000 displaced people in Ughelli, Isoko, Patani, and Burutu.

Believing education is the engine of opportunity, Sanomi introduced the Annual National Essay Competition in 2014, rewarding secondary school students with scholarships while equipping their schools with modern facilities. Healthcare also became a priority: in 2017, his Foundation covered medical bills for 131 patients at Ughelli and Kiagbodo General Hospitals, giving families new hope.

Faith and community received his attention too. In 2020, the Dickens Sanomi Foundation rebuilt St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Mariga, Niger State, transforming it into a 500-seat modern parish with clean water and electricity. In 2023, a Paris charity dinner he backed raised nearly ₦100 million ($160,000), funding surgeries for children with heart defects, tumors, and other life-threatening conditions.

Despite such impact, Sanomi avoids the limelight. Often described as a “quiet billionaire,” he prefers boardroom negotiations to red carpets, and action to publicity. His story is not just about oil contracts in Geneva but about scholarships in Nigerian schools, church bells ringing in Mariga, and hospital wards in Ughelli filled with gratitude.

Today, Igho Sanomi II stands as proof that global ambition and local responsibility can coexist. His journey — rooted in Ughelli South, refined in Geneva, and remembered in countless Nigerian communities — is one of vision, discipline, and generosity. We salute him as a shining example of great benevolence and astute business leadership.