Emeka Izeze To Speak on Boko Haram at King’s

The King’s College and The Phillips Journalism Institute are pleased to welcome the seasoned Nigerian journalist andGuardian chief executive officer and former editor-in-chief Emeka Izeze to campus for a lecture on November 7.

In his talk, “Behind the News: What You Haven’t Heard about Boko Haram,” Izeze will speak about the violent Muslim group that has terrorized Nigerians and kidnapped hundreds of young school girls in the past year.

Izeze is CEO and a former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, a leading daily independent newspaper in Nigeria. He says his Christian faith has bolstered his 24-year career as a reporter and editor, directing his life and work toward doing good to his fellow men. Izeze is also a board member of The Media Project, which challenges and equips mainstream journalists to cover the role of religion in public life.

“This is a rare opportunity to hear from a top newsman from Nigeria, who is closely following this story of a terrorist group in his home country,” says Paul Glader, a journalism professor at The King’s College and director of The Phillips Journalism Institute. “Mr. Izeze speaks with humility, journalistic precision, and humanitarian concern about the problems in Nigeria and what can possibly be done to stop the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.”

The U.S. Department of State designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization in 2013. The group’s brutal campaign includes a suicide attack on a United Nations building in Abuja in 2011, repeated attacks that have killed dozens of students, burning of villages, and ties to regional terror groups. The Nigerian government hasn’t been able to quell the insurgency.

Boko Haram also claimed responsibility for the abduction of more than two hundred Chibok schoolgirls  in April 2014, sparking the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign around the globe.

“Izeze is more than one of the senior journalists in Africa, when it comes to newspapers that fight to maintain their independence,” says syndicated columnist Terry Mattingly, who will be a senior fellow in media and religion at King’s beginning in 2015. “He also has spent enough time in America to understand what we know and think we know about events in Africa. He’s an experienced bridge builder, in other words. He is a journalist who has seen his share of disasters in Nigeria and that kind of experience is at the foundation of his work. He’s calm, even when dealing with harsh truths. Journalists in the States really need to hear what this man has to say.”

Gregory Alan Thornbury, president of The King’s College, concurs. “One of the hallmarks of good journalism is pursuing a story even after it has left the headlines. We are grateful that Emeka Izeze is coming to The King’s College to keep before our minds the horrific agenda of Boko Haram,” Thornbury says. “Months ago, the West was talking nonstop about the abduction of two hundred school girls from their school. Seemingly, some have forgotten. But with Mr. Izeze’s help, we will not and must not until justice prevails.”

Izeze’s talk will take place on Friday, November 7 from 12:00-1:30pm in the City Room on the campus of The King’s College, located in Manhattan at 56 Broadway. The event is free and open to students, faculty, staff, and the general public. Space is limited, and an RSVP is required.

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The John McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute trains students for careers in media. The Institute teaches journalism, supervises internships, and fosters a community of ethical reporting and writing among top journalists. The Institute also hosts several events each year for journalists working in New York City and offers a select number of spots each semester for student journalists to spend a semester at PJI in New York City at a prestigious news outlet and take classes at The King’s College. Apply here.