Bassey bags University Of York’s doctoral award

A Nigerian architect, environmental rights activist, poet, and award-winning author, Mr. Nnimmo Bassey has bagged an honorary doctoral degree at the prestigious University of York, United Kingdom. He is one of 16 global icons’ awardees.

Born in 1958, Bassey was chair of the Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) between 2008 and 2012. He was Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action, Nigeria for two decades.

He was named among Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment in 2009 and in 2010 he was one of the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize, while in 2012 he was the recipient of the prestigious Rafto Prize.

He is currently the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation
(HOMEF).

In his remarks, the head of the Benin office of the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Barr Chima Williams noted that the award ofm, an honorary doctorate degree on Bassey is well deserved, given his effort in intellectual communication of the situation in Nigeria and the global turf of environmental issues.

In his remarks, one of his mentees, Mr. Ibrahim Momoh, described Bassey as a leading voice in the global pursuit of environmental justice, stressing that the award is another testament of his illustrious and indefatigable service to humanity, which highlights his standing-up to the practices of Multi-national oil corporations (MNOCs) and the resulting environmental devastation.