Nigerian philanthropist Igho Sanomi boosts catholic missions in rural communities

Igho Sanomi

PRESS OFFICE

Nigerian oilman Igho Sanomi, who is a recipient of a Papal medal of His Holiness Pope Francis for his contributions to the Catholic Church, is currently building multiple structures for the Catholic Church in the Niger Delta region, funded by the support of Dickens Sanomi Foundation (DSF).

This was disclosed in a feature article published in Business Insider Africa, and written by Arthur Peters, a Kenyan-based investigative consultant on religious and social awareness matters, titled How Igho Sanomi’s Foundation Gave a Lifeline To Catholic Missions In Nigeria. In the article, Peters noted that the Dickens Sanomi Foundation is currently building at least three new edifices for the Catholic Church in Delta, to accommodate the increasing membership of the Catholic Church and fortify security during Masses. This is made up of two new parishes in the villages of Orere and Arhavbavien, not too far from the Ughelli Township in Delta State in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The DSF Project Program is also constructing a Bishop Court in Ughelli to create befitting and secured residences for Bishops, Parish Priests and Reverend sisters.

Peters revealed in his article that the Dickens Sanomi Foundation, the philanthropic organisation founded by Igho Sanomi, was also the financier of the construction of a 500-seat capacity, ultra-modern Catholic Church parish in Mariga, a rural community in Niger State. Before the Dickens Sanomi Foundation intervened, Catholic faithful in the community worshipped in a tiny, makeshift, poorly constructed property that was built with bamboo sticks, raffia and wooden planks. The community did not have clean water and any source of electricity. The Dickens Sanomi Foundation built the new, ultramodern church with a borehole, a well-secured gate, and provided alternative energy.

Sanomi, who is the founder of Taleveras, an energy conglomerate, is a renowned philanthropist. Last year, he received a commendation from Cancer Research UK and the Bobby Moore Fund for his philanthropy towards bowel cancer research in the United Kingdom. It is on record that Sanomi and his Foundation helped raise over $1.5 million for the Bobby Moore Fund. Sanomi also famously sponsored Ali Ahmadu, a nine-year-old Boko Haram victim for spinal surgery in Dubai.