3 Richest Igbo Men in Nigeria (Forbes)

Top 3 richest Igbo men in Nigeria 2017 have been named by Forbes, a website renowned for ranking of richest people in the world.

In the latest release of the richest Igbo men 2017, two hail from Igbo-speaking part of Delta state while one hails from Abia state.

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3. Jim Ovia

Jim Ovia was born in Agbor, Delta state on November 4, 1951. He founded Zenith Bank in 1990. He is the chairman and the largest shareholder of the bank with a stake of almost 10%.
He also manages a mobile telecom Visafone which has over 3 million subscribers. Net Worth: $1 billion.

Jim Ovia is a noted philanthropist and has headed numerous Non-Governmental Organizations [NGO] at various times including being the first President of the Nigeria Internet Group (2001-2003).
He is the founder and Chairman of Mankind United to Support Total Education (MUSTE), a philanthropic organization focused on providing scholarship for the less privileged, of which some of the beneficiaries are now qualified professionals in diverse fields

He is also the founder of the Youth Empowerment / ICT Foundation, which focuses on improving the socio-economic welfare of Nigerian youths by inspiring and motivating them to embrace Information and communication technology.

2. Orji Uzor Kalu

The former governor of Abia State was born on April 21, 1960.
He is the founder and chairman of Slok Holding – a conglomerate with interest in shipping, banking, oil, trading, manufacturing and the media.

He became a real business man at the age of 19 after being expelled from a Nigerian University for allegedly spearheading a series of student riots. His Net Worth is pegged at $1.1 billion.

Kalu, who takes the second position on the list of richest Igbo men 2017, is involved with the Njiko Igbo Movement, whose purpose is to help secure the presidential seat for a Nigerian citizen of Igbo extraction; an Igbo has only held the presidency for six months since Nigeria’s independence.
The movement has branches and support groups throughout the diaspora. Kalu launched the organization together with former Nigerian Senator Emmanuel Onwe, a human rights advocate and lawyer earlier based in the United Kingdom.

1. Tony Elumelu

Anthony Onyemaechi Elumelu, who was born on 22nd March, 1063 takes the number one spot on the list of richest Igbo men 2017.

A philanthropist and founder of the Transcorp and Heirs Holdings, He was the chairman of United Bank for Africa and was estimated to worth $1.4 billion.

Elumelu was born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, in 1963. He is an Ukwuani – an Igbo speaking part of Delta State.

He has two degrees in economics from Nigerian universities, a bachelor’s degree from Ambrose Alli University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Lagos. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme.

Tony Elumelu, who tops the list of richest Igbo men 2017, married Awele Vivien Elumelu, a medical doctor, in 1993, and they have seven children together.

He has four siblings, one of whom is Ndudi Elumelu, a former member of the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives.

Also read: Top 10 Richest Actors In Nollywood.

Source: obindigbo