SWAGG NEWS AFRICA: Ambassador Prosper Ikechukwu Egeonu

Ambassador Prosper Ikechukwu Egeonu

Being the Editor of SwaGG News Africa is the role that Ambassador Prosper Egeonu is most known for, and it's one that he is extremely proud of. However he has many other strings to his bow. He has achieved a huge amount during his life so far, and although he isn't one to boast, the rest of us here at Team Swagg News Africa decided it was time we took a look at his impressive C.V...

When Ambassador Egeonu isn't at SwaGG News Africa H.Q, he is busy with a number of other important roles and activities. Although he works in the publishing industry, he is not just a man of words; he is a man of action. A man with immense determination, focus and pride. A man with a strong work ethic, sense of duty and morals. A man who is devoted to God, his wife & son, his community, and his country.

As well as being the Editor of SwaGG News Africa, for several years, Ambassador Egeonu was a Project Officer for DREP (the Dialogue, Reconciliation, and Peace Centre) in the Jos North region. His most important work for them, was co-ordinating the Hausa-Fulani Muslim community, to establish a dialogue between them and the Christians living in the villages in the Plateau and Kaduna regions. Thousands of massacres and mutilations have occurred in the region, as a result of long-standing disputes between groups, over land and political and ethnic privileges. (There had always been tensions between the “indigenes” and the “settlers” but it wasn’t until 2001 that these disputes became religious, turning into a full blown war of Muslims vs Christians.) A cycle of horrific killing and violence started, which continues to the present day. According to the official HRW (Human Rights Watch) report, The Nigerian Government have failed to act effectively, with the security services themselves allegedly responsible for hundreds of killings. It has therefore been left to NGO’s and charities to try to calm tensions and bring peace. DREP was one such NGO who took on this task in late 2008, after 700 people were killed in Jos. Ambassador Egeonu entered his role with them fearlessly, and was able to gain the trust of both the Muslim and Christian communities, despite not speaking the Hausa-Fulani languages. His trustworthiness, integrity and passion were evident to them, and to the foreign NGO’s who were sent to monitor and evaluate his work. These were the CAFOD (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development) an international development charity based in London, England, and the URI (United Religions Initiative), a global interfaith network based in San Francisco, USA. They interviewed Prosper, among many other community leaders and witnesses to the atrocities, in their attempt to understand and tackle the troubles. When asked about the current day situation, Ambassador Egeonu is careful not to apportion blame to either religion, nor underestimate the ease with which peace will occur: “Peace building and conflict resolution is a process. Reoccurring violent crises aren't a problem one resolves in a day. But if both sides affected have the zeal to restore peace, then by working together, with hope & faith, peace might be achieved. However, the key reason violent crises occur, is usually because of a third actor. The third actor is almost always silent and unseen, but sponsors and consciously manipulates youths to engage in violence. They usually do this for a selfish purpose. Therefore, however much progress is made between the two visible sides, if the third actor remains in place, progress will be blocked.”

In conjunction with his paid peace building work, Prosper works on many important voluntary projects. These include Inter-faith ‘Dialogue and Sensitisation Workshops’, mentoring Uganda youths at Kampala, and working with JCAF - a grass-roots civic organisation which raises funds to provide financial and medical assistance to families affected by conflict. He also has a ‘Go Green Champion' certificate from The Obama Foundation, which he earned for his community workshops on ‘Climate Change Awareness’. As a great admirer of the former American President, Barack Obama, whose name the Foundation bears, he is particularly proud of this certificate. He also obtained a number of other certificates, as a result of the online learning courses he completed through the YALI Network (‘Young African Leaders Initiative’ Network). These were in civic leadership, business & entrepreneurship, and public management.

This wide ranging and extensive work is the reason why Prosper was awarded two internationally recognised Ambassadorship titles: In 2013 he was made ‘Nigeria Goodwill Ambassador’ by The Nigeria Goodwill Ambassador Foundation, whose HQ is in Abuja, and in 2015 the Universal Peace Federation (a consultative body to the UN) made him an ‘International Ambassador For Peace’,

With these titles come great responsibility, and this is something which Mr Egeonu takes very seriously. It is his belief that “entertainment is the latest revolution that captures the visions and the social-economic potential of Nigerian youth,” and that “awareness of that potential is a way to turn young people away from violence”. That is why SwaGG News Africa is such a vital and important tool for him to achieve his goals. He uses his titles, and the Swagg News Africa platform, to set an example to his community (and to all his fellow Nigerians). For example, he has staged his own educational seminars & events for young people, such as the ‘War Against Exam Malpractice’ seminar for high school students, and a ‘Stop the Violence’ peace concert, where local stars performed & taught the region’s youth how to coexist peacefully. The peace concert tapped into Prosper’s wider vision, as did his partnership with the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria, and his partnership with a local radio station to provide an entertainment program called ‘Friday Night Dance Party With Joey’. In 2013 and 2015, in conjunction with a local female empowerment charity called 'Diamond She Africa', he hosted a seminar for high school students, to mark World Aids Day. And he has also been able to make use of his famous American contacts; recruiting musician, Akon and actor, J.D. Williams, to craft special “stop the violence” messages. The Ambassador hopes that, as proud black men, these stars, and others like them, may become involved in SwaGG News Africa’s further endeavours.

One may wonder what motivates The Ambassador’s seemingly relentless work. In truth, it is the horrific acts of inter-community violence he witnessed growing up in Nigeria’s Plateau state. By the time he reached his 30’s, he decided he had seen enough and that he would devote his business, civic and personal activities to ending it. At times he has found this frustrating — volunteers become disinterested, illiteracy among some in the target groups limits his ability to get messages through, and financial constraints mean peace builders are often unable to reach more rural communities. But he remains determined to continue using his platform, and his influence to achieve his goals: “I have come to believe that my purpose is to reduce all sorts of violent acts perpetrated by humans towards one another, and also bring peace to our natural environment by helping do (or preach) what's right towards helping save ourselves and our environment. Youth and female empowerment is a must – an absolute responsibility. I plan on using my Media and Entertainment platform to do this. Since lots of youths identify with this platform, I prefer to use it. And I love the Media and entertainment industry passionately. As Mother Theresa told us, “peace begins with a smile”, so let’s keep smiling as we do our part to end violence in this world.”