Monday, 9 February 2015

US: Nigeria Will Not Disintegrate


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 US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James F. Entwistle





The United States Government at the weekend said that Nigeria would not disintegrate in spite of her prevailing socio-economic and political challenges which, it said, gravely undermined the country indivisibility and unity.


The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James F. Entwistle, said this at a news conference on the premiere of a movie titled Selma to promote peaceful electoral process at the House on the Rock Cathedral in Lekki, Lagos.

At the conference he addressed with the Senior Pastor of the church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the ambassador dismissed a report that the US Government had predicted that Nigeria would split anytime from year 2015.

He said Nigeria “is not different from all other countries in the world with various degrees of challenges but that would not make them split,” noting that the US “has had her fair share of political challenges and that did not make her split.”

Entwistle said Nigeria “is a strong country that has not shown any sign of disintegration,”  thereby raising questions on why people predict doom for the country rather than work towards its strength. Do you want Nigeria to break up?”

Also speaking, Adefarasin admonished Nigerians “to work towards peace and unity of the country. Knowing that peace is not the absence of tension but the presence of justice, we must ensure that peace, justice and equity are enshrined in Nigeria.”
He warned that interest of Nigeria cannot be determined along ethnic or religious lines noting that ‘the tragic events in parts of this country are a harsh reminder that dialogue, peace and religious tolerance are crucial to our continued existence’’.
In a remark, a Nigerian-born British actor, Mr. David Oyelowo, acknowledged the timeliness of his movie to the current political experience in Nigeria, noting that it “is a thing of joy for him to make a movie that would speak to the need of the country’s social and political development.”

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