A renowned environmental rights advocate, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, has been conferred with an honorary doctorate of law degree by the York University in Toronto, Canada.

Bassey, an alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an architect, hails from Akwa Ibom.

Bassey holds a National Honour of Member of Order of Federal Republic, OFR, for Environmental Activism and Executive Director at Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF.

The honour was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by Miss Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead at HOMEF, an environment-focused Non Governmental Organisation, NGO.

According to Odhomor, the event took place on Friday, October 13, at the convocation ceremony of the 64-year-old university.

York is known for driving teaching and research excellence with cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design, and experiential education opportunities.

It is Canada’s third-largest university, and it has around 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and over 325,000 alumni worldwide.”

HOMEF stated that the Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, Prof. Alice J. Hovorka presented Bassey as a candidate for the Doctorate honoris causa to be conferred by the university at the Convocation.

In her citation, Hovorka said that as a long-time champion of sustainability and environmental justice, Bassey has built an irrefutable legacy as an agent of change that will improve the lives of generations to come.

“Nurtured by a deep-rooted commitment to the environment, his journey has been one of relentless advocacy, insightful scholarship, and tireless action.

“Born in Nigeria, Bassey commenced his professional journey as an architect, quickly transcending bounds of the built environment to emphasize the interconnectedness of society and the natural world, becoming one of Africa’s leading advocates and campaigners for the environment and human rights,” the citation said.

Shakirat Sadiq