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.
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