Dafinone Ede Omueya

Ede Dafinone (born 10 April 1962) is a chartered accountant, politician, and philanthropist known for his contributions to finance, politics, and community development in Nigeria.

His family holds the Guinness World Record for having the highest number of members in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). His father, David Omueya Dafinone, was a former Senator from Bendel South during the Second Republic.

Dafinone comes from a lineage where multiple family members—including his siblings—qualified as ICAEW members between 1986 and 1999. His father joined the institute in 1963.

He began his education at Corona School, Apapa, Lagos (1968–1973), followed by Kings College Lagos (1973–1978). He later studied abroad at Rugby School, UK (1978–1980), and pursued undergraduate studies in Economics at the Victoria University of Manchester (1980–1983) with a Bachelor’s degree. His Master’s in Economics came from the University of Exeter (UK) in 1984.

Beyond academics, Dafinone attended Lagos Business School for business management and became a Fellow of both ICAEW (2000) and ICAN (since 1991), also holding the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria’s fellowship since 1991.

His professional career spans accounting and directorships. He worked at Touche Ross & Co in London (1984–1988), then joined Crowe Dafinone Chartered Accountants in Lagos, rising to Partner in 1997 and Deputy Managing Partner since 2007.

He has held key roles in both private and public sectors, including directorships at Sapele Petroleum Limited, Ceddi Corporation Limited, NEXIM Bank, and the National Film and Video Censors Board. He also served as Chairman of MAN-EPG and Chairperson of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.

In politics, Dafinone was a founding member of the PDP in Delta State (1998) alongside his father. He contested PDP primaries for Delta Central Senatorial District in 2006 and DPP bye-elections in 2013 before fully aligning with APC in 2014.

Since 2014, he has represented the APC in the Nigerian Senate as Senator for Delta Central. His election was upheld by the Appeal Court after a National Assembly petition (November 2023). He chairs committees on Legislative Compliance and Local Content, among others.

Dafinone’s legislative work includes bills aimed at constitutional amendments (e.g., increasing derivation percentage from 13% to 25%), promoting local government autonomy, judicial reform, and agricultural education. His motions focus on infrastructure, environmental issues, and economic policies.

Community-oriented, he serves as Trustee of Okpe Union and Chairman of the Sapele Okpe Community Land Trust Association. He was honored with the traditional title Ede of Okpe Kingdom.

The Dafinone Foundation supports education, entrepreneurship, and skills training. It provides scholarships across levels, micro-credit loans for MSMEs, and a Skill Acquisition Centre offering trades like tailoring, welding, and IT. Over 5,000 individuals have benefited since its founding in 2007.