CLEEN Foundation founder, Innocent Chikwuma dies at 55

Foundation, 55 years old Innocent Chukwuma, died on Saturday 3rd of April, 2021 in Lagos.
Sources say Chukwuma, one of Nigeria’s leading civil society activists, had battled with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, an aggressive cancer of the blood.

His death was announced by media rights activist Edetaen Ojo.

“With profound shock & sadness, I regret to inform you that Innocent Chukwuma passed away this evening. May his soul rest in peace,” executive director of the Media Rights Agenda, Ojo laments.

Chukwuma was a student union activist at the University of Nigeria, where he read religious studies.

Upon graduation, he joined the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Nigeria’s first human rights organisation led by Olisa Agbakoba, which he left to establish CLEEN.

Our reporter quoted a friend of the deceased, Chidi Odinkalu, “Chukwuma’s diagnosis only came through Friday night, though he was booked to begin chemotherapy sessions Saturday night, he passed before the needle could be inserted”.

Mr Chukwuma, who holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, served from January 2013 until recently, as the Ford Foundation’s representative for West Africa.

Before joining Ford Foundation in 2013, Mr Chukwuma founded and led the CLEEN Foundation to promote public safety, security, and accessible justice in West Africa.

CLEEN was the first African NGO to receive the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.