The North East Student Peace Foundation (NESPF), an organization of college and university student comprised of both Muslims and Christians, has awarded the Rev. Ande Emmanuel, a United Methodist clergy in Nigeria, an Icon of Peace.
The award is in recognition of Rev. Emmanuel’s 10 years of active advocacy for peace and justice in Nigeria. The country has been wracked by political, religious, and ethnic violence since its independence from Great Britain in 1960, according to The Carter Center. Most recently, northeast Nigeria was staggered in 2014 by the abduction of more than 200 girls by Islamist extremist Boko Haram.
Ande Immanuel
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Aliyu Nasir, president of the organization, said the award is being conferred on Rev. Emmanuel for his years of community organizing work on peacebuilding and conflict transformation among Christian and Muslim communities in Northern Nigeria and his current role in bringing folks together to stand for the unity of The United Methodist Church in Africa.
Rev. Emmanuel has worked with the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society for several years training communities in Africa for peacebuilding. He is the founder and coordinator of the Africa Voice of Unity, an African-led advocacy team that is working for a sustainable future of United Methodism in Africa. The team was responsible for the widely circulated "Statement of Church Unity from Africa."
While receiving the award Dec. 2 in Gombe State of northeast Nigeria, Rev. Emmanuel said, "I am so much grateful for the North East Student Peace Foundation for counting me worthy to receive this award and recognition. I am humbled by this gesture and reminded again of the expectation my community have on me. I will do everything possible to justify the confidence you all had in me. I dedicate this award to all peace-loving and justice-seeking advocates throughout the world."
The Rev. Driver B. Jalo serves as director of the Council on Ministries of the Southern Nigeria Annual Conference. Insight Editor Cynthia B. Astle contributed to this report.