Ofehe Sunny

Sunny Ofehe is a Nigeria-born, Dutch environmental rights and human rights activist and a Nigerian political candidate whose activities focus on the environmental degradation and human rights abuses in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. He was a governorship aspirant in the 2019 Nigerian governorship election in the oil-rich Delta State under the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) party, and a Delta State Governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria under the Young Progressive Party (YPP). Sunny Oghale Ofehe was born on 1 February 1972 in Lagos, Nigeria, to Chief Bernard Aghogho and Theresa Ofehe of Iyede, Isoko North Council area of Delta State.

Ofehe completed his primary education at Ogelle Primary School, Ughelli, Delta State, in 1983. His secondary education was completed at Unity School Agbarho, also in Delta State, in 1988. In 1991, Ofehe gained admission into the University of Benin to study industrial chemistry and graduated in 1995. After the annulled election of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, Ofehe became an activist while in university, mobilizing students to protest against the military junta’s annulment of the election, advocating for MKO Abiola’s presidency.

Ofehe fled Nigeria for the Netherlands on 26 November 1995, seeking political asylum after the Abacha-led military government targeted him. He arrived in Amsterdam on 27 November 1995 and was processed in Zevenaar before being transferred to an asylum camp in Kampen. In 1996, he moved to Rotterdam with the help of a childhood friend, met his wife, Dorothy Faluy-Ofehe, and they have four sons together. Ofehe founded the non-governmental organization Hope for the Niger Delta Campaigns (HNDC) in 2005, focusing on raising international awareness about the Niger Delta’s plight.

HNDC facilitated dialogue with militants in the Niger Delta during the 2005 crisis, adopting a non-violent approach to end hostage-taking and secure the release of kidnapped oil workers. He was instrumental in a 2013 lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague, where a ruling favored one of the farmers affected by Shell’s operations. Ofehe also launched *Inside Niger Delta Magazine* to expose the region’s suffering globally.

His advocacy efforts led to visits by Dutch officials to the Niger Delta, including a 2011 parliamentary hearing on Shell’s operations. Ofehe narrowly escaped a bomb blast in Asaba, Delta State, in 2010, and faced harassment by Nigerian security agencies, including a 2022 Senate inquiry where his name was removed from their watchlist after evidence proved the accusations were false.

In 2011, he was briefly detained by Dutch police for terrorism charges, later dropped due to lack of evidence. In 2015, Ofehe led a team of Dutch nationals to document the suffering of 12 Niger Delta communities affected by oil exploitation, which attracted global attention. Since 2011, he has addressed the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva and participated in EU and UNPO events.

Ofehe has engaged with European institutions, including the European Parliament and Commission, and invited the Olu of Warri to discuss EU-Niger Delta collaboration in 2023. He has also spoken at the Inter Eco Forum Conference in Marbella and trained Nigerian Senate members in Leiden, Netherlands. Every 10 November, he commemorates the execution of Ogoni activists Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight martyrs, honoring their legacy.

Ofehe ran for Delta State governorship in 2017 as an APC candidate but stepped down after party endorsement for Chief Great Ogboru. He was later affirmed as the YPP’s 2023 governorship candidate and was unanimously deemed the most outstanding candidate in the election debates. After the election, he was appointed Executive Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on External Relations and Diaspora Affairs.

Ofehe holds honorary degrees, including a PhD in Public Policy from Prowess University, and is a Vice President for Environmental Sustainability & European Relations at the Africa CEO Club. He is also a Board Member of the Global Centre for Innovative Leaders (GCIL), Director of Diplomat Link, and a Director at China-Nigeria Market Access & Investment Studio. His awards include the 2024 Global Mindset Media Achievers Excellence Award, 2022 Global Good Governance Ambassador, and the 2012 Voice Outstanding African Environmentalist.

Despite his mother’s murder in 2007, Ofehe held a funeral in 2017, where top Nigerians urged him to contest elections. He is a fellow at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Centre for Sustainable Development and a prominent international development expert. His family lives in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where he continues his advocacy and leadership roles.