The United States of America will continue to partner Nigeria to achieve peaceful co-existence and sustainable development especially in the country’s drive towards attainment of enduring democracy.
The acting Consul General of the United States Consulate in Nigeria, Mrs. Dehab Ghebreab on Thursday told journalists at a press conference shortly before the premiere of Captive, at the House on the Rock Cathedral in Lagos that peace is not negotiable in any nation that aspires to achieve sustainable democracy and development.
Mrs. Ghebreab said her country; the United States of America is in partnership with The Rock Cathedral to send a strong message that will change people’s lives.
‘’We are partnering on a theme to look at a purpose driven life. The movie, Captive shows how the struggle between hope and despair play out’’, Ghebreab said.
The American diplomat reminded all that societies learn from each other and in order to extend the American democracy beyond America, ‘‘we decided to share that experience with Nigerians through Selma’’.
It’s a long term commitment and that’s what we are doing today to send the message about a purpose driven life which will help contribute to having a purpose driven nation.
The host of the event and senior pastor of House on The Rock, Paul Adefarasin earlier spoke on the need for Nigerians to live a purpose driven lifestyle too.
He said Nigeria, in her 55 years as an independent nation, has faced a series of challenges such as oppressive regimes, mis-governance and now terrorism. He noted that the country has however overcome most of these challenges that posed great threat to us in the past.
Adefarasin recalled that the public premiere of the movie, Selma in the twilight of Nigeria’s general elections achieved a lot as the movie spoke to the subject of peace at a time when it appeared that Nigeria was going to disintegrate.
He said the success of Selma may not have been seen in the physical, but several discerning Nigerians will agree that the peace we enjoy today is very soothing.
The clergy also said House on The Rock is working assiduously hard for the attainment of peace because it is only a peaceful atmosphere that brings about development in a country.
Adefarasin charged Nigerians to see themselves as one family.
‘’Do we continue to view one another as different people? Do we accept that we are a united nation or do we insist that we are an amalgam of different nationalities? Do we accept that we are Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, Bini, Kalabari, Ibibio, Tiv, Birom, Idoma, Efik or the many more tribal distinctions that exist in our country or do we accept that we are simply and proudly Nigerians’’? He asked.
He further stated that ‘’all the great nations of our world today only became great because they purposed to do so as one people of one nation around an uncompromised system of shared values. Value systems that invariably included Equal Opportunity, Equity, Justice, Freedom, Peace, Progress and the Majority Principle’’.
We must build a country that offers her citizens progress and development in an atmosphere of justice, freedom and equal opportunity.
Also at the event was the former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, who expressed delight in the collaboration between the United States Consulate and House on The Rock.
According to Ezekwesili ‘‘the church plays an important role in nation building. We thank the US consular for this kind of partnership. Strategic partnerships matter. Partnering on such a day as our annual independence makes it much more relevant and is important for nation building’’. She said.
Captive was later screened to a cross section of Nigerians from the political, business and social class.
