Franc Utoo to Join CPAC USA 2026

CPAC is proud to announce that Franc Utoo is a confirmed speaker for CPAC USA 2026 in Grapevine, Texas, March 25-28.

Franc Utoo is a Nigerian attorney, nonprofit executive, and public administration professional from Yelewata in Benue State—one of the communities most devastated by the ongoing genocidal attacks against Christian populations in Nigeria. As the son of the late Village Head of Yelewata, who led the community until his passing in 2023, Franc carries both the moral authority of a direct survivor and the institutional memory of a traditional leader’s household. He speaks not as an external analyst, but as someone whose family, neighbors, and ancestral land have been repeatedly targeted by Fulani jihadist violence.

Professionally, Franc brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of law, governance, and civil society. He has served as Executive Director of Beacon Path Africa, leading community development and education initiatives in West Africa, and previously worked as Principal Special Assistant to the Governor of Benue State, where he advised on strategic policy, project implementation, and high-impact government programs. His earlier career as an attorney in Abuja and as a parliamentary intern in the UK House of Commons has equipped him with a deep understanding of constitutionalism, rule of law, and democratic accountability that informs his advocacy on mass atrocities and human rights.

Franc holds a Master of Public Administration in Public and Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Oklahoma, with a capstone focused on transformational leadership in public institutions, as well as an LLB (Honours) in Law from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, in the United Kingdom and a Nigerian Bar qualification from the Nigerian Law School, where he was the President of the Students Representatives Council of his set. A practicing Catholic and Knight of Columbus, he grounds his work in faith-based principles of human dignity, solidarity, and justice, using his legal training, policy expertise, and lived experience to speak for communities that have been silenced or ignored. Franc stands as a credible, informed, and deeply affected voice calling for decisive international attention and action to halt the genocide of Christians in Nigeria and to defend the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities like his own in Yelewata.

In recognition of his dogged fight and advocacy against the genocide of christians in Nigeria and wanton destruction of their communities, the National Secretariat of the Mzough U Tiv Worldwide (the umbrella body of the Tiv people; Nigeria's fourth biggest ethnic group) presented him with an award of excellence "In recognition of his defense of the Tiv nation," during the 2025 Tiv Day Celebration in Gboko, Benue State of Nigeria. Also, his own community of Yelewata, on January 2, 2026 conferred him with the reverred traditional title of the "Zege Imienger I Nomgbera," which literally translates as "The lamp the gives light to the Nomgbera people."

He is married to Brenda Utoo, and they are blessed with two children: Adrian Aondoakura and Nicole Msendoo.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Franc Utoo at CPAC USA 2026! 

Reserve your tickets today here.