COFP Newsletter
Summer Update
(January – June, 2024)
COFP NEWSLETTER
Summer Update
(January – June, 2024)
Director’s Word
Dear Readers,
To have come thus far into the year is no little feat for the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP). We extend our heartfelt gratitude to God Almighty and to all our committed partners, generous donors, and loyal friends who have unwaveringly supported us throughout the first half of 2024. We’re honoured to share with you a review of the activities and initiatives we have undertaken from January to June 2024, highlighting our progress, impact and success stories. We look forward to your continued collaboration in the second half of the year.
2023/2024 COFP Fellows’ Community Peace Work and Success Stories
Learning is definitely incomplete without opportunities to apply knowledge from the classroom to practical life situations. This principle underpins the annual peace projects undertaken by COFP Fellows in their communities after their second module. Supported by a seed grant from the Foundation during their school year, the Fellows implement
80 Hearty Cheers to a Champion of Peace
H.E. John Cardinal Onaiyekan CON
Hearty cheers to His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, on his 80th birthday! The festivities in honor of this extraordinary octogenarian, whose life has been dedicated to fostering faith, peace, justice and interfaith dialogue, included the launch of his thought-provoking book, “Religion for Peace: Not War – Post Retirement Reflections of John
COFP Scholarship Scheme Continues
In an effort to empower the next generation, the COFP Foundation continues to champion education for underprivileged children across the FCT and Nasarawa State. To ensure equal opportunities, the staff of COFP diligently visits schools to evaluate academic performance, ensuring that deserving students receive vital educational support.
COFP Appoints a Deputy Director
In January 2024, the COFP Foundation’s Governing Council and Board approved the appointment of Rev. Fr. Boniface Neibo Achor as the Deputy Director, responding to the need for expansion amid the busy schedule of the Executive Director Rev. Sr. Agatha Chikelue, DMMM. A COFP Fellow and priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr.
Sr. Agatha Chikelue Bags Global Award
We are delighted to announce that our Executive Director, Rev. Sr. Agatha Chikelue, DMMM, received the prestigious “Women of Excellence in Multi-Religious Actions Award” from Religions for Peace, the world’s largest multi-faith organization on March 26th 2024. This global recognition honors her outstanding contributions to promoting peace and interfaith dialogue. She was selected as the second runner-up from one hundred (100) nominees for this award which was established in 2023 to promote diversity, equity, and women’s empowerment across religious traditions. Religions for Peace praised Sr. Agatha’s significant contributions to her country and her inspirational role in advancing gender equality and interfaith collaboration worldwide. Sr. Agatha expressed gratitude to God for the award and dedicated it to all women working towards peaceful coexistence globally especially, those in most difficult places and situations. Congratulations to our esteemed Executive Director on this well-deserved recognition!”
COFP’s Executive Director Participating in a High-Level Forum on the Role of Faith in Advancing Positive Outcomes for Children, Families, and Communities
As one of the panelists during the Multi-Religious and Multi-Stakeholder High-Level Forum on the Role of Faith in Advancing Positive Outcomes for Children, Families, and Communities held from 26-27 March 2024 at the Church Centre for the United Nations, New York USA, the Executive Director of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace
Induction & Graduation of Fellows After 3rd Module
From April 28th to May 4th, 2024, forty-seven (47) Fellows from Nigeria and several African countries including Uganda, Zambia, Niger, Cameroon, and Ethiopia gathered at the Ajuji Greenwich Hotel in Abuja for the final module of the 2023/2024 Fellowship program. The first four days of the program were dedicated to intensive training in
Sr. Agatha Chikelue Joins in the Celebration of the 2024 Golden Rule Day and the Commemoration of World Interfaith Harmony Week
As part of the Foundation’s effort in promoting interfaith collective action in Africa by fostering peace, human dignity, development, and preservation of the environment, and also to counter hate speech, violence, and xenophobia, the Executive Director of COFP, Sr. Agatha Chikelue participated as one of the key speakers at the above event which
JRS and COFP Foundation Join Forces for Collaboration
The COFP delegation, led by the Executive Director, Rev. Sr. Agatha Chikelue, in the accompany of the Deputy Director, Rev. Fr. Boniface Neibo, and the Program Officer, Mr. Nicholas Dike, on 23rd May 2024 visited the office of the Country Director of the Jesuit Relief Services to explore the possibility for partnership. The JRS team made up of the
COFP’s Deputy Director Celebrates Democracy Day with Benue State Government
In honour of the invitation for the 25th Anniversary of uninterrupted Democracy in Nigeria, the Deputy Director of COFP, Rev. Fr. Boniface Neibo was invited by the Benue State Government through Dr. Patrick Terna, the Director General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency to participate as a panelist in the momentous celebration on