The University of Michigan in the United States has announced that Nigerian environmental leader, architect, and poet, Nnimmo Bassey, will be the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Wallenberg Medal.
Bassey, the executive director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, is set to become the first Nigerian and the fifth African to receive this honour, following in the footsteps of distinguished figures like Helen Suzman, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Paul Rusesabagina, and Denis Mukwege.
The Wallenberg Medal is awarded to outstanding humanitarians whose dedicated efforts on behalf of the vulnerable and oppressed mirror the heroic commitment and sacrifice demonstrated by Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews during World War II.
Bassey, also a member of the steering committee of Oilwatch International, will receive the Wallenberg Medal as the 30th global recipient and deliver the Wallenberg Lecture on September 10 in Ann Arbor City, Michigan.
The university praised Bassey’s work addressing root-cause issues related to climate change, environmental impacts, and socio-ecological justice.
This recognition adds to Bassey’s extensive list of achievements, including chairing Friends of the Earth International (2008-2012) and receiving the 2010 Right Livelihood Award and the Rafto Human Rights Prize in 2012.
The ceremony is open to the public and will provide an opportunity to honour Bassey’s contributions to environmental justice and advocacy
