Civil Society Loses a Key Leader, Innocent Chukwuma

Nigeria’s civil society suffered another loss with the passing of Innocent Chukwuma, founder of CLEEN Foundation and until recently, West Africa regional Director of the Ford Foundation. In a statement by his wife, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, he died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Innocent has been a key human rights leader in the country, starting his human rights work as a staff of the pioneer human rights organisation, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO). He was its Acting Executive Director at some point and later founded the CLEEN Foundation in 1998. Innocent was a courageous voice for human rights in Nigeria and has contributed tremendously to the development of Nigeria’s democracy. Through his work at the Ford Foundation, he made grants supporting the work of civil society groups in various governance areas. Civil Society will miss his role in the space.