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Condolences have started pouring over the demise of a foremost chartered accountant and an accomplished former senator, Chief David Dafinone.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has condoled with the leadership of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and the Urhobo nation in general over the passing of accomplished accountant, administrator, politician and elder statesman, Chief David Omueya Dafinone at aged 91 years.

Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu commiserated with the Urhobo nation, Okpe kingdom, the Dafinone family and friends over the sad incident.

He said that his demise had deprived the nation of the wisdom and wise counsel he had always brought into service. The Governor believed that as a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dafinone’s sacrifice and contributions to national development as well as his huge investments in agriculture in the state would be fondly remembered.

It read in part: “As Deltans and Nigerians mourn the illustrious Urhobo leader, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa conveys his heartfelt condolences to his family, the people of the Delta Central Senatorial Zone whom he ably represented in the Senate.

“As they mourn his death, Governor Okowa urges Chief Dafinone’s family, relatives and political associates to be comforted by the knowledge that he lived a worthy and exemplary life, leaving behind worthy legacies that will assure his place in posterity”.

The statement added that his family’s world record of the family with most chartered accountants still remains unbroken till his death.

The Governor prayed that God will receive his soul and comfort all his loved ones.

Also, the former governor of Delta state, Chief James Ibori in his condolence message entitled:
“David Dafinone; A man of many parts,” described the death of Senator David Dafinone as an irremediable loss to the Nigerian business firmament, the Urhobo nation, Delta state and Nigeria as a whole.
He said: “Dafinone was a jack of many trades who became master of all. Dafinone achieved this because he lived life to the fullest, embraced challenges and also excelled in everything he did”.

In a press statement of 1st October 2018, signed by Tony Eluemunor his Media Assistant, Ibori said that he was privileged to have known Dafinone on a personal level as “he rendered remarkable service to Delta state as a member of the Special Advisory Council and one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party”.
Ibori said: “Though David Dafinone was globally known as a Chartered Accountant, one of the few ones who made it into the Guinness Book of Records – his family has the largest number of accountants in the world, he actually studied Economics. He combined this with part-time professional accountancy examinations as he progressed through the university. As he graduated with a degree in Economics he was also acquiring his professional certificate in Accountancy at the same time.
He worked with top-flight organisations both as an Economist and Accountant, he and Chief Akintola Williams became the doyens of Accountancy in Nigeria. Dafinone’s illustrious spirit had to embrace other challenges – politics, publishing, business, real estate development, etc, and he excelled in all.
Dafinone joined the late Chief Jonathan Odebiyi and the late Dr.Olusola Saraki, to form the three most influential Senators of the Second Republic – authoritative, in the debate, carriage and highly respected across all the political parties of that from 1979 to 1983.
His Ceddi Plaza, Apapa, is a very visible and highly known Lagos landmark just as the Ceddi Plaza Abuja helps to define the federal capital city’s Central Business District. Not many people may remember that Dafinone owned the encyclopaedic “Who is Who in Nigeria” publication and also published the “Abuja Handbook” for several years.
May his soul rest in perfect peace”.