Nnimmo Bassey
Nnimmo is an environmentalist, architect, writer, and the director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) – a think-tank advocating for climate justice and food sovereignty in Nigeria and Africa at large. He also serves on the leadership committees of Oilwatch International and the Global Alliance for Rights of Nature, among others, and is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and of the Association of Nigerian Authors, having authored several books on the environment, architecture and poetry.
Previously, he was Chair of Friends of the Earth International, as well as Executive Director of Nigeria’s Environmental Rights Action for two decades. In 2009, Nnimmo was named Time Magazine’s Hero of the Environment, and in 2010, was a co-recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the “Alternative Noble Prize.” He also received the 2012 Rafto Human Rights Award, and in 2014, Nigeria’s national honour as Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) in recognition of his environmental activism.
As credence to his indefatigable environmental advocacy, Nnimmo is the recipient of two honorary doctorates (University of York, UK in 2019 and York University, Canada in 2023) and in 2024, the prestigious Wallenberg Medal Award from the University of Michigan.