Sunny Ofehe

Comrade Sunny Ofehe is a Nigeria-born, Dutch Environmental Rights Activist whose activities focus on the environmental degradation in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.^[1]

Early life

Born Sunny Oghale Ofehe on 1 February 1972 in Lagos, Nigeria, to Chief Bernard Aghogho and Mrs. Theresa Ofehe of Iyede, Isoko North Council area of Delta State, Ofehe had a pretty rough childhood. Growing up in the midst poverty, he was determined to face education in the midst of challenges.

Education

Ofehe was enrolled into Ogelle Primary School Ughelli and completed his primary education in 1983.His secondary education was completed at Unity School Agbarho in 1988. In 1991, Ofehe gained admission into the University of Benin to study Industrial Chemistry.He graduated in 1995.

University activism

The June 12, 1993 saga resulting from the annulled election of late chief M.K.O Abiola became Ofehe's first call into activism.He mobilized his fellow students to demonstrate against the annulment of the Presidential election by the then Military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.This action would see him become one of the victims of military clampdown on Pro-democracy activists protested the annulment of the election and subsequent execution of a renowned author, playwright and a Human Rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and others popularly known as the Ogoni Nine by the General Sani Abacha led military government in 1995.

Asylum in Netherlands

Sunny Ofehe fled Nigeria for the Netherlands on 28 November 1995 where he sought political asylum to escape the hunt by the Abacha led military government.

Another phase of activism, dialogue With militants

Ofehe Founded a non-governmental Organisation, Hope for the Niger Delta Campaigns (HNDC) headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2005. HNDC was focused on bringing the plight of the People of the Oil rich Niger Delta to International awareness became a platform to expose the ills of Multi-Nationals in the region to the International Community and stakeholders. The HNDC facilitated a visit of Lara Lee, David Smith, Pranay Behari (Americans) and Jan Andre Groenendijk (Dutch) Journalists to dialogue with the Militants in the creeks of the Niger Delta in 2005 in the midst of the face-off between the militants and the State security outfits. Ofehe adopted a non-violent approach to his advocacy and played a prominent role in bringing an end to hostage taking in the Niger Delta. His campaign has led to specific release of Dutch kidnapped oil workers afterwards. Ofehe was instrumental in a litigation involving four Niger Delta farmers brought against the Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague with a ruling in January 2013 in favour of one of the farmer.^[2]

Publisher

A publication of a monthly Niger Delta Diaspora magazine called "Inside Niger Delta Magazine",^[3] began as part of Ofehe's commitment to expose the plight of the people of the oil rich Niger Delta region.

Marital life

Ofehe got married to Dorothy Faluy in 2004. His marriage is blessed with four boys.

Mother's assassination

Ofehe's campaign against multinationals had begun to play major waves internationally and left him and his loved ones at a risk of being victims of planned attacks. This heightened when his 60-year-old mother was strangled to death,^[4] in his family home in Benin City on October 4, 2007, by assailants suspected to be hired assassins. Till date the government has not brought these perpetrators to book. Sunny would later accused the government of complicity in handling of the case.

Visit To MEND Camp

Not deterred by his mother's death, Ofehe began series of documentary films on the Niger Delta showcasing the untold stories of the region and using it as a means to campaign for peace in September, 2008. This move led to encounters with then freedom warlords like Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo of the Niger Delta People Volunteer Force (NDPVF) and Boy Loaf (MEND Commander). In December 2008, Ofehe visited the camp of the popular Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) as part of a peace campaign calling for a truce. This was followed by a successful peace move by the Nigerian government and the subsequent granting of Amnesty to all Niger Delta Militants.

Government's recognition and invitation

Due to his activities to foster peace in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria's former president,Dr. Goodluck Jonathan extended an invitation to Ofehe. He also addressed a joint committee of the Nigeria House of Representative and eventual invited 15 Honourable Members of the House to the Netherlands and the European Union in Brussels in 2009. On February 25 and 26 2010, Ofehe hosted stakeholders in the Niger Delta Peace process to an international Conference in the Hague, Netherlands which was instrumental in proffering solution to the problems of youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region and also invited an aide to the then Nigerian president on Niger Delta and Head of the Nigerian Amnesty Committee, Hon. Kingsley Kuku to engage senior European politicians in Paris and Brussels. This led to a Dutch member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen and Dutch embassy officials in Nigeria to visit the slumps and devastated areas of the Niger Delta. The outcome led to a Dutch Parliamentary Hearing on Shell in the Niger Delta in January 2011 at the Dutch Parliament in The Hague where Ofehe alongside speakers from Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, Cordaid with Shell present at the hearing.

Escaped bomb blast, arrest and detention

Ofehe's life was under threat again when he narrowly escaped a bomb blast that rocked his room at the government guest house in Delta State, Nigeria. He was subsequently arrested by the Nigeria State Security Services. In February 2011, he was arrested by the Dutch Police after around 30 officers raided his home in Rotterdam in the early hours of the morning and detained for 14 days.^[5] He was later charged with terrorism in a case that became so widely reported around the world and attracted international condemnation.^[6] It became obvious that Ofehe had been a victim of a political arrest to silence his dogged and virile criticism of oil and government operations in the Niger Delta. The charges against him were later dropped for lack of evidence.

Venture Into Politics

in 2017, Ofehe ventured into politics declaring for the race for the governorship of Delta state. He declared under the All Progressive Congress (APC) ^[7].. Ofehe stressed that he wants to be governor to put an end to the sufferings of his people and bring about diversified sources of revenue to Delta state and reduce the dependency on oil and Federal allocations ^[8].

References

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