Niketu Iralu delivers his recorded acceptance message for the 2025 International Lifetime Achievement Award for Trustbuilding from Kohima, reflecting on his seven-decade peace journey and his belief that true change and peace must begin within oneself.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 18
Veteran Naga peacebuilder, thinker and reconciliation advocate Niketu Iralu passed away in New Delhi on Tuesday.
According to reports, Iralu had been unwell and was admitted to BLK Hospital in New Delhi, and reportedly died following a cardiac arrest. Further details are awaited.
Affectionately known to many as ‘Uncle Niketu,’ Iralu was a much-loved voice for peace, reconciliation and trustbuilding in Nagaland and the North-East, dedicating around seven decades to bridging political and ethnic divides and bringing people together.
Among others, he was a guiding force in the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), an influential peace-building forum.
Among his many Iralu’s honours, one of the last was the Initiatives of Change (IofC) International Lifetime Achiever Award 2025, conferred in recognition of his decades-long contribution to peacebuilding and reconciliation.
The award, presented at the IofC Annual Lecture and Trustbuilding Awards Ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa, on November 12, 2025, in many ways encapsulated the central theme of Iralu’s life and work.
He could not attend the ceremony after reportedly being denied a visa and instead delivered his acceptance through a recorded video message. (Read here Niketu Iralu conferred IofC 2025 Lifetime Achiever Award)
Reflecting on his seven-decade peace journey, Iralu spoke of the need for personal transformation as the starting point for wider change.
He recalled being drawn to IofC’s idea of remaking the world by first accepting the needed changes in oneself.
He also spoke of moral conviction and humility, saying he had chosen to do what he believed needed to be done for his people without seeking success or recognition. His work in trustbuilding, he said, had taught him that reconciliation becomes possible when people move beyond seeing only how they have been hurt by others and are willing to recognise where they too may have caused hurt.
Iralu further stressed the need to build “common stability” in the Northeast, warning that without it, the region could face deeper cycles of violence and instability.
Watch Niketu Iralu’s acceptance message for the International Lifetime Achievement Award for Trustbuilding 2025 here:
